The Last Rose
by winchestre
Summary: Vampire Academy, sort of an alternate universe. Dimitri is Rose's guardian. She's the last Ivashkov, and when the two run away, will they fall in love? Or will tragedy come around...again?
1. Chapter 1 official

**EDIT**

**AS OF TODAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012, THERE IS A NEW SYSTEM TO READING THIS STORY.**

**TO READ THE UPDATE VERSION, PLEASE FOLLOW THE CHAPTERS LABELED AS "official" AND TO CONTINUE READING THE OLD PLOT, PLEASE CONTINUE READING CHAPTERS LABELED AS "old."**

**THANK YOU, HOPEFULLY THIS IS NOT TOO COMPLICATED. **

**HEY GUYS! **

**So, this is an idea I had...haha, it's sort of like Kessafan's alternate universe, sort of. Haha. **

**So, yes, this is Vampire Academy in a different way...haha, I actually wrote this and my computer crashed. ): So I had to rewrite it...bleh. **

**Well, here you go! **

**Hope you like it!**

**REVIEW!**

* * *

"Rose, _please _go to class," Dimitri said.

I flipped through my fashion magazine. "Why?"

He sighed. "Oh, I don't know. To learn?"

"Learning," I said, "is for pussies."

"Rose!" he chided.

"Just stating a fact," I muttered.

"Oh, Rose," he sat down next to me.

_"_Come on. You know I'm right," I said. "Besides, I'm smart. A little ditching can't hurt."

"Maintaining a 'B' average isn't exactly smart, Rose."

"Glad to see you have so much faith in me," I muttered. "This school is ridiculous anyway."

"Rose-"

"Don't 'Rose' me, Dimitri. You know I'm right. It's not safe here,"

"I..." he knew I was right, of course. He knew what I was thinking. A sometimes-helpful factor in our guardian/charge relationship. We weren't exactly sure _what _the Hell it was...just, after the car crash - the one that ended my mother, father, and nearly Dimitri's lives - Dimitri could feel what I was feeling, hear my thoughts, and see what I saw. It was sort of an invasion of privacy, but I didn't mind so much anymore. The one person I trusted in the world was Dimitri. Sure, I had other friends...but that was a social life, I guess. Popular, but people secretly hate you. Not exactly the story of my life, but it was close.

"The raven? The car crash? Mrs. Karp?" I said. "Someone's trying to mess with my head."

"No one is trying to mess with your head, Rose."

"Oh?" I looked at him pointedly, trying (and failing) to cock my eyebrow in that cool way he could.

"Rose...no. What could we do, anyway?"

"Run away," I breathed.

He was quiet for a moment. "How?"

"Compulsion? I don't know. Somehow." I smiled. He was definitely seeing reason.

"Rose..."

"Look, Dimitri. You've seen my thoughts. I can't explain it in words, but you and I both know what I'm sort of talking about, and I'm right."

"I know," he whispered. A few minutes passed, while he thought, before he spoke again. "Rose...it's safe here."

"No, it's not."

"The place is ringed in the wards, swarming with guardians - and you have me." He smiled. "I will always protect you. I'll never let anything happen to you,"

"I believe _you," _I said. "but, no offense, not even you, Dimitri Belikov, could fight off an army of Strigoi."

"I would try, for you, Rose." He chuckled. "And," he added, "I could probably get through at least half of them."

"I know." I sighed. "I just...please, Dimitri? If you really would do anything for me...well, now is your time to prove it."

"Rose...I couldn't do that. What with you being the last Ivashkov-"

"Screw that. I am Rose and you are Dimitri. No Ivashkovs, Belikovs, or anything. Just you. And me." I was the last survivor of the Ivashkov royal family. The car crash that I mentioned earlier killed my mother and father - leaving me as _the _last Ivashkov. Kind of lonely, I guess. Family reunions were never very lively.

"No, that's not true, no matter how much you or I might wish," he said. "you are Rose Ivashkov. And I couldn't just...just kidnap you!" He sounded irritated.

"You wouldn't be kidnapping me, silly. I can compel them to _forget," _I reminded him. "So it'll be like we never existed...for a week or so."

"Rose..."

"Dimitri. Please." I begged.

"Fine."

"What?" I seriously hadn't anticipated this...with more begging, yes. But not so outright. Yay.

"On one condition," he said.

"What?"

"Go to class." He smiled.

I groaned. "Why?"

"I'm doing you a huge favor," he said. "now do me one. Educate yourself for a few more hours. I'll have a plan by tonight, and we'll escape around noon human time."

"Okay." I said, standing up and brushing stray dirt off of my butt.

"Rose?" he asked.

"Hmm?" I replied, gathering my lemonade, magazine, and sweatshirt.

"I really would do anything for you."

"I know." I hugged him and trudged back off to class, escorted by Dimitri, who told Mrs. Carmack I had been sick and in my room. She bought it, and told me to go sit down next to my Magic Buddy (as I called her) Vasilisa, or Lissa, as we all called her, Dragomir. She was pretty, and blonde, and popular - but she was also surprisingly nice. Especially since her great-aunt was the queen. I actually sort of liked her, even though I wouldn't exactly call her my best friend in the world. We made small talk as we practiced the different elements, and she always kept up a conversation - even when I ruined it with my depressing conversation killers (such as: I saw your cat yesterday. It was Strigoi.).

"Hi, Rose," she said as I strewed (yes, it is a word) my crap across my half of the desk.

"Hey." I said. "What are we learning today?"

"Stuff about flowers," she said. Earth magic. Blech. Personally, I wanted fire. It matched my personality. In my sophomore class, only, like, five people had specialized. One creepy emo kid named Christian Ozera had specialized in fire, along with Drake Badica, and Avery Lazar and Lissa had specialized in air, and Mia Rinaldi had specialized in water. Lissa had told me the element exams pretty much sucked; it was mostly written, and then maybe half an hour of demonstrating. Sometimes, I thought it would be majorly cool to be a dhampir. They did nothing but fight, train, and have fun, while Moroi were all wrapped up in our stupid politics. Blech.

Maybe fifteen minutes later, the bell marked the end of class and the beginning of lunch. I crammed my books in my locker and strode over to a couple of dhampir guys I knew. "Hey, Mason," I said to Mason Ashford, a red-headed dhampir and a good friend of mine.

"Rose," he smiled.

"Hey, Rose," said Eddie Castile.

"Can I sit with you guys at lunch?" I asked, twirling a lock of dark hair between my fingers.

"Sure!" they said simultaneously, and a little to eagerly.

I laughed and flashed my man-eater smile. "Cool." I walked in between them, making light conversation and flirting just enough to keep their attention. Mason walked with me to the feeder room, and waited patiently while I got my daily blood fix. I grabbed some yogurt and we sat down at an empty table that Eddie had saved. "So," said Mason. "Don't you normally sit with your guardian? Belikov?"

I laughed slightly. "Yeah," I said, trying to think of an excuse. "he's busy today."

"Cool, it's definitely fine by us!" Said Eddie. Mason shot him a warning look.

"Thanks," I said. "so how's guardian training?"

"A bitch," said Mason. "Stan is so..."

"Evil?" Suggested Eddie.

Mason nodded. "Exactly. I hate that bastard...of course, I'm still gonna be a guardian, but you know what I mean?"

I chuckled. "Yeah. Mrs. Karp is the same way...she's insane," I said.

"Oh, crazy Karp? We've heard about her," said Eddie.

"Mmh hmm," I said around a spoonful of yogurt. I had kind of missed Mason and Eddie. They were like...the comic relief of my life. Kind of ridiculous, never really serious, and always willing to do whatever I wanted. Having man-slaves was useful most of the time.

"So have you specialized yet?" Mason said.

"Nope," I said, then added, "but no one really has. Just Lissa, Avery, Christian, Drake, and Adrian."

Eddie asked, "What element do you want?" Like I said, I wanted fire. Bad. But no one really got to choose which element...the Ozeras, however, were almost guaranteed to gain fire. It was heritage or something.

"Fire," I said. "I could use it against Strigoi," I smiled.

"That," said Mason, "is our job." He ran his hand through his fine red hair, a habit of his that I had noticed.

"Well, you never know,"

"True. Fire could actually be...really useful." He sighed. "Wish dhampirs had magic shit like that."

I laughed. "Don't worry, you have all the ninja moves," I mimed a karate-chop to demonstrate.

"Rosemarie Ivashkov," a voice called from across the room. "Come with me."

* * *

**Oooo...cliffie! :D**

**Lol. **

**Sorry...I just had to end it SOMEWHERE. Lol. I really hoped you liked it, and please review, fave, subscribe...whatever. **

**And have you read Spirit Bound? O.o**

**I liked it...but I'm not spoiling it. Lol. **

**Well, maybe I will...**

**IT WAS JUST AMAZING!**

**Ish.  
**

**I also sort of hated it...**

**SO YEAH**

**Leave your comments on this story, Spirit Bound, pandas, whatever. I just want to hear from you! :D**

**Lol.**

**BUH BYE!  
REVIEW  
REEEEVIEW!  
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	2. Chapter 2 official

**YAY! NEW CHAPTER! Haha, in one day, too. I'm so proud. **

**But y'all are awesome. I've gotten a bunch of reviews for just one day...**

**So, yes, this chapter is just to lighten your mood a bit before what's to come...**

**Ohh, I'm ominous today.  
And sleepy...**

**Anyway, here you are. Chapter two. **

**So how are you liking this alternate universe?**

**Oh, and a reviewer pointed out that I DID NOT mention Adrian specialized, then said he did, and I want to clarify that he DID NOT. Any more questions, please review or PM me, I'll be happy to answer, as well as if you have, like, a suggestion or something. **

**Oh, and for the reason Rose is an Ivashkov? **

**I really don't know...she had to be royal, and I thought it sounded cool. :D **

**So **

**yeah.  
Review?  
**

_Previously..._

_"Rosemarie Ivashkov!"_

Two.

I groaned. "Is that Kirova?" I hissed to Eddie. He glanced behind him, and turned back to me.

"Yep."

"Shit," I said.

"What did you _do_?" Asked Mason, stifling a laugh.

"Nothing!" I said in my defense, then amended: "well, I've been ditching a _lot_ lately..."

"Shit, Rose," said Eddie.

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly a peachy situation, now is it?" I snapped.

"Rosemarie!" I heard Kirova's retarded, _sensible_ heels clicking across the floor.

"Yes?" I turned around, displaying my best what-the-Hell-are-you-talking-about-I-would-never-do-that face.

"Come with me."

"Um, what for?" I didn't get an answer, just semi-sympathetic looks from Mason and Eddie. Dimitri, of course, was nowhere to be seen.

_Help!_ I thought to Dimitri. _I'm being held hostage...in Kirova's office! By Strigoi!_

I laughed. This would be interesting.

"Sit." Headmistress Bitch commanded. I did, and she folded her hands on her desk, preparing to give one of her momentous speeches -

_Bang_.

"Rose!" I heard from the doorway. Which, by the way, had been busted down.

_That's_ my badass.

"_Guardian Belikov_!" Kirova shrieked. She stood up angrily. "_What_ is the meaning of this?"

"I...um..." he glared at me. "Sorry. I just...um...thought that Rose was in danger."

"Why ever would you think _that_?" She countered.

"I thought I heard... screaming... from this room, and I thought I saw a...a Strigoi, but it was just a student with...colored contacts. Sorry. Really." He stepped outside of the splintered door frame, carefully leaning the two busted pieces of wood against each other while I suppressed giggles. He left, and Kirova faced me. Joy.

"_Anyway_," she said. "You have been late or missing from nearly all of your classes this past month."

"I know," I said.

"Do you have some sort of explanation?" She snapped.

"I'm just...a little torn-up over what happened to my family," I said.

"Dear, I understand, but you cannot keep up this excuse. I expect to see you present and on time for all of your classes, starting tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am," I said.

"You may leave," she said, shuffling some papers on her desk.

I bolted out the door, thinking I was oh-so-smart for...well, outsmarting her. I wouldn't even be here tomorrow. That cranky old hag could suck -

"Rose!" Dimitri yelled from across the quad.

"Oh, er...Hi, Dimitri," I said.

"Yeah. _Hi_." He folded his arms and glared at me.

"Um...so, yeah. I'm just going to go to class now..."

"You have cooking, Rose. That isn't exactly a class." Oh, man. He was _pissed_. I had chosen culinary arts because you didn't do _anything_. Yet the man treated it like it was...I don't know. Something _important_.

"Sorry," I said. "I was bored, okay?"

"You were bored?" he said quietly. "_Bored_?" He said, louder.

"Well..."

"Rose, please. Don't..." he sighed. "I'm not angry, and I know that's what you're thinking. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit...frustrated," he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "Please don't give me a false alarm like that. You really, really worried me." He placed a hand on my cheek, looking at me with his big brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," I wrapped my arms around him, and let out a sob I didn't even know was there.

"Shh," he said. "It's okay."

"No, it's not, Dimitri." I said, my voice muffled by his shirt. Which I was ruining. With tears.

"Why not, Rose?" he asked, tilting my head up to look at me. "We'll be gone by tomorrow, just like I promised. All I need you to do is pack one, small bag and..." his brow furrowed.

"And what?"

"Well, Rose, I hate to ask you to do this, but...I need you to get some of your inheritance." He looked pained.

"No big deal," I shrugged. It really wasn't. I had loads of money. _Oodles_ of it. I wasn't trying to brag, either. I was just stating a fact.

"Okay." He sighed, visibly relaxing. "Now, go to class."

"But you said cooking wasn't a class!"

"I was a bit angry then, in case you didn't notice," he glared mockingly, and towed me toward the cooking rooms. I slipped in without being noticed, and plopped down next to Christian Ozera, who was making some...thing.

"What is _that_?" I asked, poking the random hunk of who-knows-what.

"Food," he replied, smirking.

"Really." I said, equally sarcastic. "Isn't _food_ supposed to be _edible_?"

"Why don't you test it and find out?" He smiled evilly, holding a spoonful of mush out to me.

"Um." I said. I normally wasn't one to back out of a dare...but this? This could endanger my _life_.

"Well?" he wiggled it in my face. And boy, did it wiggle. It was like a little Jell-o-stripper.

"What is it supposed to _be_?" I asked.

"Jell-o."

"From scratch?" I guessed.

"Yup." He smiled. "C'mon, Rose. It actually isn't as bad as it looks." To prove his point, he slurped the green gunk off of the spoon. "Mm." He said.

"Fine," I grabbed a fresh spoon, and, before I could talk myself out of it, crammed it in my mouth.

And, surprisingly, it wasn't half-bad. "Wow," I said.

"See?" He smiled sincerely at me. "I can totally cook."

"You might want to work on appearance," I said.

"Whatever." He flicked a glob of cake batter at me.

And, well, being me, I sort of cracked an egg on his head. Or threw it at him. Same thing.

"Shit!" He said, taking the full impact of the egg with his forehead. I laughed.

"It's on, Ivashkov!" he yelled, smearing some of the wannabe Jell-o on my shirt.

"This. Is. _War_." I said, glaring and dumping an entire - yes, an entire - bag of flour on his head.

It was actually pretty cool to watch. Christian's black hair was shot through with white, and his face was...well, hilarious looking. He looked like an albino freak.

"Ms. Ivashkov! Mr. Ozera!" Ms. Delaney, the teacher, yelled at us. "Clean. Now." She snapped, pointing to the closet where brooms and other such items I had no idea how to use were kept. We trudged over, Christian leaving a poof of flour wherever he walked.

"Damn you, Rose," he said. I laughed. I knew he was kidding, and he knew I was kidding. I was sort of friends with the kid.

"Save it, Fire Boy. You ruined my cashmere shirt." I glared. "And you know what?" I asked. "That picture will look great on the internet."

"What picture?" he spluttered.

"Kidding," I snickered.

"Truce?" he sighed, holding out his hand, which I hesitantly shook.

"Truce. Now, will you help me cook something so I can pass at least one class this year?"

"Sure, Rose. Let's make some cake." he rolled his eyes like I was some idiot.

"Can I eat it?"

"That would be like eating your grade, Rose. So no."

"Damn." I said.

And the cake-baking commenced.

* * *

**Lol, I thought you guys deserved some nice comic relief. The next few chapters are a lot more heavy. :P So, yeah. Thanks so much for all of the AMAZING reviews! I already have, like, 10, and its been an hour. So, yes. You guys motivate me to keep writing! **

**Hope you liked the chapter...don't worry, not every chapter will be as ridiculous and insane as the second half of that one was. And I'll probably make them a bit longer...**

**But yeah. So please review, fav, whatever. :) **

**Oh, and check this out. I loved it. **

http: / / browse . deviantart . com/?order=5&q=dimitri %20 belikov # / d2qd0je

**Like, my fav scene from VA 1. Lol. **

**So, yeahh...just a little bit of art to keep u entertained!  
Wow, I'm random today...**

**So, yeah. I'm going to go to sleep now...**

**KTHXBYE**

**Oh, Q of the Day: **

**Do you think Dimitri is hot? (check that pic URL i posted...might knock some sense into you if answer NO) **

**Haha. **

**So. **

**Yesh. **

**Sleepy time for maddie. **

**Review?  
**


	3. Chapter 3 official

**Hey guys! So, this is the kind the beginning of downer-chapters I warned you about...:( Haha, don't worry, it really isn't that bad. I actually like it...but that could be because I'm the author...  
**

**Oh, well. You'll like it. (3  
**

**Thanks again so so much for all of the awesome reviews! I'm really glad you guys like it so much! :D Not even two days, and like 17 reviews!**

**AMAZING!**

**Lol.**

**So, yeah. Here's chapter three.**

**Enjoy!**

**Review?

* * *

**

Three.

I carefully and quietly crept to the commons in my dorm. The attendant was out cold, thank God, so I was able to easily access the outdated ATM machine that was in the corner. I punched in some numbers, and was a little more than annoyed when I was only able to withdraw two-hundred at a time. After ten tries, and two thousand dollars, I gave up. We could stop by a bank on our way out or something. I pocketed the incredibly thick wad of twenties, thought better of it, and shoved it into my large purse.

Dimitri had told me to meet him by an oak tree that was just outside of the forest. It was brilliantly sunny out, so I tried to stick mostly to shadows - the sunlight didn't affect Moroi like it did Strigoi, but it still wasn't exactly rainbows and unicorns to walk outside. I did enjoy the warmth most of the time, though. I finally saw him standing at the edge of the forest, with a backpack on his back and one waiting for me. They were both small, and light; we had only packed the necessities. I had brought maybe six shirts, two jeans, and some shorts, along with simple feminine necessities, and the tennis shoes I wore now. He had packed less, I imagined. The only reason we were splitting the backpacks was so we didn't have to waste money on a new one if the need arose.

"So, how are we doing this, comrade?" I asked.

He sighed, and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to compel the guardian up front to drive us to the bank," he said.

"Why the bank?"

"You were only able to withdraw...what, two thousand?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Of course he had known that. Stupid mind-thingy...

"Oh. Right." I said, blushing. "Then?"

"Then, we head to the airport." He said, handing me my bag.

"Where to?" I asked.

"Washington," he said.

"Where the President lives?" I asked.

He chuckled softly. "No, the state. Seattle. It's about a two and a half hour flight from here," he said.

"Oh. Okay," I said. "Do we need to buy tickets there, or...?" I doubted he had already gotten them.

"No. I bought them earlier today."

"With _what_?" I couldn't stop myself. Guardian wages were very, _very_ meager.

"I had a little money saved up. It's no big deal, Rose." He smiled. "Come on." He turned around and headed for the gate. "Now," he said. "there are two guards. I'm going to take care of the one inside of the guard house, while you compel the one at the gate."

"What's his name?" I asked. Sometimes addressing the person by name helped - and we could use all the help we could get.

"Her. Janine Hathaway." He said, grimacing.

"Okay." I sighed, trying to match the name with a face. "What's wrong?"

"She's...well, just be careful, okay?" he whispered now, as we were crouched behind some foliage near the gate.

"I always am," I teased. Dimitri slipped off his backpack, bolting with impossible speed to the guard house. There was a thump, and the woman I presumed to be Janine Hathaway looked up. She kind of reminded me of a leprechaun. She was short, with curly red hair and fair, though calloused skin, but when she turned around, I thought: _Danger_. The expression on her face just screamed mean and deadly.

I calmly approached her from behind, smoothing my composure and bringing all of my willpower forward. "Janine." I said, quietly, controlled. She turned to face me. "You aren't going to fight me, or Dimitri." I said. Her face jerked, like she was trying to resist, but failed. "You are going to pick up the car from the garage, and you are going to drive Dimitri and I to the closest bank. And leave your stake here." She nodded, and her eyes were glazed over. "_Go_." I commanded. She did, entering the garage through a locked door. Dimitri emerged from the guard house without a scratch. He looked like he hadn't exerted any energy at all - and maybe he hadn't. He was a kick ass guardian, the best a bunch of people had ever seen.

"Rose?" he asked.

"Got it. Janine Hathaway is coming around with the car as we speak." The car pulled in front of us, as if to prove my words. Dimitri jogged back to grab his backpack, and climbed in the car after me, in the backseat.

"Okay. Did you tell her where to go?" he asked.

"Yes." Then, to Janine. "The bank." She nodded, putting the car into drive and hitting a button that opened the gates. We were soon clear of the forest, and on a normal, paved road. Dimitri sat quietly while I listened to an iPod that my parents had given me for my last birthday.

"Here we are," she said tightly.

"I'm going to stay in the car," Dimitri said, "in case the compulsion fails." He looked upset about leaving me alone for five seconds.

"I'll be fine, Dimitri." I said, climbing out. I walked through the automatic doors, and some perky lady welcomed me to the Bank of America at Missoula. I headed straight for the counter, which, thank God, only had one person in line. I waited patiently, examining my carefully painted pink nails. That wouldn't last long, I was sure. The luxuries of my life would be gone. Running away would come at a price. But I knew that, and it didn't bother me.

"Can I help who's next in line?" A perky old man asked. Even _old_ people were perky here. Weird.

"Me," I said, stepping up to the counter. "Rosemarie Ivashkov," I said, watching as he typed a few things into the ancient computer.

"Password?" he asked, indicating the keyboard in front of me. I punched in my password, and the old man typed away at his computer. "Withdrawal or deposit?" he asked.

"Withdrawal." I said.

"Okay," he typed some more. It seemed painfully load, each _click_ pounding in my skull. I hated headaches. "How much would you like to withdraw?" he finally asked.

"Six-" I stopped myself. It would look awfully suspicious if a _fifteen-year-old_ girl withdrew six hundred_ thousand _dollars. "Six hundred," I said instead. "And I would like to set up an account in Seattle, Washington."

He nodded, and stepped into a back room, emerging with a thick envelope. "What would be the name for the account?" he asked.

"Rosemarie I-" I began, but then racked my brain for a name. Something no one would suspect was really me. "Hathaway," I said, thinking of Janine. The first thing that had appeared in my head.

"Rosemarie I. Hathaway?" He asked.

"No," I said. "Just Rosemarie Hathaway."

"How much would you like to deposit into this account?" he asked.

"Half of what's in mine," I said. He nodded, typing.

"You do know that that is...well, an _awful_ lot of money, right, sweetheart?" He peered at me through his spectacles.

"I know. I have another account set up, this is just what my parents opened for my spending money," I said. And it wasn't a lie, either. I held all of the Ivashkov family money. It definitely came in handy most of the time. But all of it was inaccessible to me until I was eighteen, except for the account I was using now.

"Alright." He said. "Will that be all?"

"Um...could I open another account, for my...Cousin?" I asked.

"Sure," this guy was _seriously_ trustworthy. I thanked God a little bit. I didn't necessarily believe in Him, but I had sat through enough church sessions with Dimitri to at least respect the idea. "Name and location?"

"Dimitri Belikov, Seattle, Washington." I mentally kicked myself for using his real name.

He typed. Again. I was fixing to _smash_ that _damn_ keyboard. "How much?" he asked.

"Whatever's left," I replied.

Type. Type. Dead. Dead. "Do you have a specific password for each account?" he asked. I nodded, typing them in. Mine was "Dimitri," and Dimitri's was "Rose." How creative am I?

"Thanks," I said.

"Will that be all?" he asked. I nodded. He handed me a printed piece of official looking paper. "Just show this to the bank in Seattle - this one," he pointed it out on a map, "and you'll be all set."

"Thanks." I said, cramming the piece of paper into my pocket and bolting out the door. And ran right back in to retrieve my forgotten envelope of cash. The old man smiled in an oh-kids-these-days kind of way, and I rolled my eyes and successfully made it back to the car. I opened the door, and nearly got punched in the face. "What the Hell?" I yelled, barely avoiding the fist. It was a tiny fist, so I suspected it was our leprechaun chauffeur.

"Sorry-" Dimitri grunted, trying to restrain the tiny bitch. "Rose," he socked her in the face. "She just-" kick. "Attacked me!"

I sighed. "It's not your fault," I said. He was mostly managing to restrain her, but some locals were beginning to take notice. And we _really_ didn't need the police after us right now. "Janine." I said. She still fought, but Dimitri was able to pin her down long enough for me to look into her eyes. "Stop. Now." She stopped thrashing, and I asked Dimitri, "how far is the airport?"

"Maybe a fifteen minute drive," he said. Then "Rose, no. You are not - "

"Janine," I said, putting all of my mental power into this. "Forget you ever saw us. Forget who we are. Drive back to the Academy, and tell them you went to visit a sick relative. You will not answer any questions about us. Understand?" she nodded, climbing to the front seat. Dimitri grabbed our bags and got out of the car. Janine drove off with a slightly pissed off but mostly glazed over look on her face. I was panting a little bit from all of the energy I had just sort of exerted. They really should have, like, a mind Olympics. I was physically tired from this freaking magic shit.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said.

"You shouldn't have gotten rid of the car," he chided. "You can't possibly make it all the way to the airport on foot. Here, let me carry you - "

"No, Dimitri. We can hail a cab or something." I waved off his ridiculous, yet highly sweet act of protection or...whatever.

"Oh." He said. "Right. Were you successful?"

"Huh?" He talked so weird sometimes. "Oh. Right. Yeah, I have two thousand six hundred in cash, and I set up an account for me and an account for you in Seattle."

He looked pleased. And kind of shocked that I had managed to pull it off this well. "Good." As we reached a bus stop, I sat down on one of the benches, followed by Dimitri. A bus was due in three minutes, and the benches quickly filled up with people. A few of them girls around my age, I might add. Sitting just a bit too close to Dimitri. So, just to amuse myself, I leaned my head on his chest, sighing and wrapping my arms around his waist. To him, it was just a bit overboard yet still normal, and he, of course, didn't mind and wrapped an arm around me. But the ridiculous fake-blonde girls glared at me and got up off of the bench, tossing their hair and hissing to each other. Bitches.

Finally, the bus arrived, and Dimitri and I snagged seats at the very back. "Oh, hey," I said, once the bus was moving. "You're hurt." I gently lifted his left arm, examining a gash that looked pretty nasty, but had stopped bleeding for the most part. He also had a few bruises here and there, one on his eye.

"I'm fine," he said.

"No, let me...I can do that thing. Like with the raven-"

"No." He snatched my hand. "I'm sorry, Rose. I just don't think that that's the best idea right now. You're already tired, and you need...nourishment...and I can't give that to you right now. I need to be on full alert until we get to Seattle...I'm sorry." He looked really torn up about it.

"Hey..." I said. "It's okay, Dimitri. You're doing so much for me, don't even think about feeling guilty about anything." I casually placed my hand on top of the gash.

"I know. I'm sorry," he said.

I thought about happy memories...just like I did with the raven. "Rose!" he said, sensing my intentions and emotions. His gash, though, was gone, along with a couple bruises.

"Sorry," I said. "I just don't like seeing you hurt."

"Oh, Rose." He sighed, leaning his head back and closing your eyes.

"How did you even get that cut, anyway?" I asked. I had seen Janine drop her stake, I had made her do it...

"She stabbed me with a pen," he said, completely straight-faced.

"Wow." I laughed.

"Yeah. She's a good guardian." He said.

"Why was she assigned to the academy?" I asked.

"Same reason as me," he said. "She guards Vasilisa Dragomir."

"Oh. Lissa never told me that," I said.

"It's not a big deal, Rose." He smiled. "Good work so far," he told me.

"I've barely done anything, Dimitri." I said. And it was true. "You did all of this, pretty much."

"Rose, please." He was so damn, annoyingly modest.

"You'd do anything for me, Dimitri. Thank you." I rested my head on his chest again.

"Of course, Rose." He murmured something in Russian that sounded like it would be nice in English. At the end, though, as I was barely drifting off to sleep, I caught the word "Roza."

* * *

**Phew! That was a long chapter...haha, school gets our early allllll week. :) So I'm happy, and have free time to write...**

**Lol, I really hope you guys liked this chapter. It wasn't too depressing I hope, but idk. The next ones might be. (I'm not telling!) **

**Lol, so you might be able to see that I finally (maybe) kicked off the RxD romance. Well, did I? Or was Rose just sleep-deprived and misunderstood Dimitri's sexy Russian babble? **

**Anyway, thanks for the awesome reviews! And I hope you liked the chapter, and it seems like something Richelle would write. :) That's my goal, anyway. **

**So, Q of the day: **

**Is this style anything like Richelle Mead's? **

**REVIEW!  
**


	4. Chapter 4 official

**Hello! Again!**

**Lol.**

**I'm supposed to be studying right now...but whatever. :D**

**Wow, I really just have to keep saying thank you for all of the awesome favs and reviews! 30 now! :D :D :D**

**So, yes. I am mentally doing a happy dance, because we all know that that would be quite odd if I just busted out dancing. In public. So, um. Yeah.**

**Anyway, I really appreciate all of the reviews! Every time I check my email, BAM like 10 review alerts and 10 fav alerts pop up...it's pretty stinkin awesome! :D :D :D**

**Well, I don't want to bore you with my babble.**

**So, yeah.**

**Here is chapter four...

* * *

**

Four.

"Rose," Dimitri said, shaking my shoulder lightly. "Wake up."

"Mm," I groaned. I _so_ did not want to wake up right now.

"Rose, we're at the airport. Come on, I let you sleep as long as possible. We have to check in now,"

I opened my eyes, slowly adjusting to the harsh light. I was staring straight up at a light fixture, and... "Whoa." I said. "Why am I upside down?" I asked. I looked down, or sideways, or whatever, and noticed that I was curled up in Dimitri's arms. I was touched by that, for some reason. He had carried me, held me, and let me sleep, even though he himself was tired; I was certain he hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours.

"Sorry," he said, gently setting me down. He moved up in line and spoke to the lady at the desk while I yawned and stayed with the luggage. "Rose?" he asked. "Can you come here?"

"Sure," I said, standing up and half-dragging and half-carrying the two backpacks.

"Are you," she glanced at the ticket. "Rosemarie Ivashkov?" she asked. I told her that yes, I was. I showed her my student I.D., and she repeated the process with Dimitri - finally handing us a packet with our tickets and flight information. Dimitri and I walked to the security place - and the line was, like, fifty people long.

"Ugh." I said, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

"I know, Rose. I'm sorry." He said for the billionth time.

"Don't be," I said, leaning into him. "Thanks, actually."

"For what?"

"Letting me sleep. Carrying me. All of this. Everything," I said.

"Rose, that's my job. I would do anything for you."

"No," I said. "It's not just your job, comrade. It's _you_. Only you would do the kind of things you do...I can't explain it. I'm just grateful I got so lucky."

"Me, too," he said.

"Huh?" I asked. I wasn't sure I had heard him right.

"Nothing," he said. Finally, finally we got to a little wooden podium with a fat, acne-prone guy that was maybe in his twenties. He held a little purple flashlight up to Dimitri's I.D., and neglected mine because he thought I was his daughter or something. Dimitri was twenty-two, so I don't really know how he figured that, but...well, the guy looked drunk anyway. Whatever. We prepared to walk through the security scanners, and Dimitri cursed softly in Russian.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"My stake," was all he needed to say.

"Shit." I replied. The bag was already going through the scanner. I walked up to a man who looked like he was about to report the mysterious pointy object. "Don't." I said. "It never existed." He clipped his radio back into place and let us pass. Compulsion was seriously starting to become my best friend.

"Thank you, Rose. I'm sorry, again. That was careless and stupid of me," he said as we grabbed our bags and tickets.

"No, it wasn't. Relax, Dimitri. It's no big deal." We flopped into a couple of seats; luckily, the gate was nearby and we didn't have to walk a mile. Well, the airport was small anyway. So maybe not much luck - or whatever - was involved.

Our flight was delayed, unfortunately, until the next day, due to bad weather. All of the flights were. Dimitri wouldn't have me sleeping on the floor, so he rushed us to the airport's complimentary hotel around seven o'clock. We lucked out, and got the last room - at a big price, yes, but that's business for you. I almost felt bad for all of the people stranded in the airport terminal, but my relief at not having to kill my back by sleeping in a chair kind of overshadowed that. The room was on the second floor, 22A. Dimitri slid the little plastic key in, balancing all of the bags, and opened the door before I could move. I wasn't _that _incompetent. Geez...

When I flipped on the lights, I noticed something. There was only one bed. "Shit," I breathed. It just seemed like it would be...I don't know. A bit awkward or something. Dimitri stared at the bed for a moment before stepping into the cramped bathroom to change. Thinking the coast was clear, I found some sweats and a t-shirt in my backpack, and stripped down, preparing to change. I successfully yanked on my sweatpants, but Dimitri happened to walk out right as I was pulling my shirt off.

"Oh." Was all he said. I blushed heavily, awkwardly aware I was in only a black bra. And, I had to admit, it looked better on me than most Moroi girls. I was gifted with a rare C-cup, something coveted amongst Moroi.

"It's not a big deal, I said, looking down. Dimitri was standing in front of me, and I felt his hand brush back my hair, caress my face.

"Roza..." he said, leaning down, as if to kiss me...And stopped himself, like, a _centimeter_ away from my lips. "I'm sorry," he said, backing away. I became aware that he had no shirt on. "I...I couldn't find my shirt, that's why I came out here." He explained, noticing my unabashed staring. At his eight-pack. Or was it twelve? Damn. I didn't even know that was possible.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What was I thinking? He was my guardian. _Guardian_. Not boyfriend. Or anything. I...oh, no. I was falling in love with Dimitri Belikov. And we had to share a bed. That fact was both painfully awkward and secretly pleasant. To my dismay, he put on a loose black t-shirt, and I hurriedly put on a black tank top. We matched, I thought morbidly. He smiled to himself, probably at my random thought.

Thought?

Damn it. The man could read my thoughts, and feel what I was feeling, and...oh, this was not good. Not good at all.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"What?" he asked, looking up.

"I'm sorry." I repeated, sitting on the floor dejectedly.

"For what, Roza?" _Roza_. Russian for Rose, I was guessing. I liked it.

"I...you know, I guess." I huffed.

"Oh." He sat in front of me. "Don't be."

"Why?" this was so unlike him. Letting himself live a little, be normal...

"Just..." he sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rose. I shouldn't..." Oh, never mind. Back to guardian-if-feel-nothing Dimitri.

"No, you should," I caught myself saying. "You don't let yourself feel, Dimitri. Even though you're a guardian, you're a person too. My person," I added lamely. "And...I think I might..."

"Me, too." Was all he said. "But I can't."

"Dammit, Dimitri!" I said, standing up abruptly.

"Rose, I couldn't do that to you. To your reputation. You are important. I am not. That's how it is; me being with you will be viewed as a scandal."

"Well, we're escaping the Moroi world, aren't we?" I asked softly.

"I...Rose..." he sighed. "You need blood." he sounded tired, and I hated to do this to him, but...he was right. I needed blood pretty bad.

There was no where else to sit but the bed, and he sat down, baring his neck, eyes drooping closed. I sat next to him, brushing his hair out of the way. "Don't be sorry," I whispered before I sunk my fangs into his neck. His blood...dhampir blood, I guess...tasted magnificent. But I only got a few seconds of it, because, all of a sudden, he was on top of me, crushing his lips to mine. I moaned softly, and that one sound of pleasure seemed to bring him back to reality.

"I..." he started.

"Don't be sorry, Dimitri." I said.

"It goes against everything, everything I have ever known." He stated. But it didn't sound like he was denying anything.

"We're leaving everything either of us has ever known," I reminded him.

"I...we should go to sleep..." he said. I nodded, crawling under the covers with him. I rolled over so I was tucked into his side, and I wasn't surprised when he didn't move at first. I _was _surprised, though, when he wrapped his arms around me and murmured, "Goodnight, Roza. Sweet dreams," and some Russian stuff.

_Sweet dreams_. I hadn't dreamed in what felt like forever. I was sort of grateful; I was afraid of what I would dream. But now wasn't a time to worry about that. Now, I was right where I wanted to be - with Dimitri, curled up in his arms.

Hopefully it could last.

* * *

**Hmm...**

**What do you think? Too fast? Or just flat out bad!**

**Be brutally honest. Should I redo this? **

**Lol...I definitey brought on the romance, didn't I? **

**Haha, hoped you enjoyed that...**

**And, no. That's not the end of RxD. No worries there...**

**So, yes. Review, fav, subscribe...all of this makes me a happy camper! :) **

**Dude, I totally just typed 'campire'**

**I am officially obsessed with vampires...**

**Or, you know, Dimitri.  
Same thing. **

**So, yeah! Thanks for all the reviews, and I'll update tomorrow! :) **

**Q of the day: **

**Should I redo this chapter? Is it moving too fast?**

**REVIEW  
**


	5. Chapter 5 official

**Hi. So, um, yeah. Thanks again for the reviews, hope you like the chapter...**

**This is where it kind of ties in to the REAL vampire academy. Well, sort of. I just based this scene off of...well, you'll get it.**

***AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY READ CHAPTER FOUR* go back and reread the end, cos I changed it so this would work. :)**

**And I am SO sorry I haven't updated! I was on vacation and, being the idiot I am, left my 'puter back home. ): Sorry! **

**Enjoy, and review!  
**

Five.

No. No... "No." The only coherent word in my mind. All around me, I saw twisted metal, the bodies of my mother, my father...Dimitri. "No," I whispered. I sobbed, collapsing on the ground. I cried, and I cried as they bled. And then it got scary. While the car crash replayed itself, over and over, in my mind, I saw red eyes and pale faces in the forest.

"Rose," they said. "Come with us." Strigoi. No. I wouldn't...couldn't be one of them. I wasn't evil.

"But you killed them," they said in response to my thoughts. "So you must be." And I screamed. The world turned red, and spun. It turned to broken mirrors - all reflecting the pale white face and startlingly red eyes. My pale white face. My red eyes.

"But I didn't kill them!" I shouted.

"You didn't save them, either..." and Dimitri was shaking me awake.

"Oh, God," I said, "Oh my God." I sobbed.

"Shh," he hugged me to him, rocking me back and forth and murmuring reassurances in my ear. "The car crash?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said, wiping tears off of my face. I was sweating, too. "How did you know I was having a nightmare?" I asked.

"The...you know." He sighed, stroking my cheekbone. "I saw it, too, Rose. I'm sorry." He whispered. "Don't blame yourself for what happened,"

"How can I not?" I croaked. "I couldn't save them. You, but not them."

"I agree completely. You should've saved them." He said, deadly serious.

"No!" I cried. "No. You, over them, a thousand times over." I whispered. "I just...I just need to walk it off or something. Can we go outside?" He nodded, and I attempted to stand up. I wobbled a little, and collapsed on the ground.

"Rose!" Dimitri said, crouching beside me. "Are you alright?" He asked, concern filling his face.

"Yeah," I said.

"No. You need blood," he stated. Oh, joy. This would be interesting. "How long has it been since you last fed? Not including...you know."

"Like two days, I think," I said.

"You need blood." He said again. He sat on the floor this time, pulling me into his lap. "Come on," he urged. I bared my fangs, forgetting everything else at the moment. Blood. I needed it. He was definitely right. I sunk my fangs into his neck for the second time, finally getting what I needed. Dimitri's hands were clenched on my back, but, other than that, it went rather...smoothly, I guess. When I finished, I wiped my lips, and Dimitri was a bit dazed.

"Here," I said, trying to help him up. He sat on the bed, looking much paler than I thought was healthy. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Just a little dizzy from the blood loss," he said.

"Okay. Do you need food?"

He started to shake his head, thought better of it, and nodded. "Yeah. Probably." I walked to the to the other end of the cramped room and picked up the paper menu.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Three AM." He replied.

"I don't think they serve food now," I said.

"Damn," Dimitri muttered. As if to emphasize his words, his stomach growled.

I stooped down to the small minibar, grabbing the cashews, jelly beans, potato chips, and candy bars. "Here," I said, dumping them in Dimitri's lap.

He sighed, but opened the potato chips and started eating them. "Thank you, Rose," he said around a mouthful of food. After he finished his makeshift meal, he stood up, looking much livelier and alert.

"Feeling better?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Yes." He said, stretching.

"Shouldn't you take a nap or something?" I suggested, tugging on his arm. "You just lost a lot of blood," I reminded him.

"I'm fine," he said in that annoying, stubborn way he had.

"Dimitri." I said, putting my hand on his arm. "For God's sake, even you need sleep."

He sighed. "The plane leaves in two hours. I can hold out until then," he said, getting up off the bed and walking around.

"Sure." I said sarcastically. "Well," I fake yawned, flopping back onto the bed. "Wake me when we have to leave," I said, shutting my eyes and pretending to sleep so maybe, just maybe, he would stop this ridiculous male I'm-oh-so-buff-and-don't-need-sleep thing. And, eventually, I heard the bed creak and felt it sink under his weight. I smiled as I fell asleep.

Two hours later, and too early, Dimitri woke me up. "Ungh," I muttered, rolling over and ending up falling on the floor. Not my finest moment. "Shit." I said, rubbing my now-throbbing head.

"Are you alright?" Dimitri said, clearly flustered that I had hurt myself.

"Fine," I said. He helped me up, and I gingerly wobbled to the bathroom, splashing water on my face and rubbing moisturizer into my dry skin. "Ah," I said, refreshed by the tingly sensation. I changed into some fresh jeans, black t-shirt, and flip flops and put my hair in a knot on top of my head so it wouldn't annoy me when I was trying to lean back on the seat.

"Are you really going to wear flip flops?" Dimitri asked as I walked out of the bathroom.

"Um. Yeah. Why?" I said, raising my brows in a failed attempt to mimic that way cool oh-so-disapproving thing he could do with his eyebrow. It was all, flat eye brows and then bam one was arched and I felt guilty. I'd say it worked well.

"You might hurt your feet," he said.

"Dude. Seriously?" I said, looking up at him. "You have crossed the fine line from overprotective guardian to overprotective mom," I said, throwing the last of my shit into my backpack.

He chuckled. "Fine. Injure your feet," he said, slipping on a pair of black tennis shoes. And a black t-shirt. And he had dark jeans on, too.

"Are you going for, like, a ninja look or something?" I asked.

He looked down at his shirt. "No."

I laughed. "Whatever you say."

The next hour was spent packing, grabbing a breakfast burrito, and rushing to get to our flight. Come to think of it, it sounds so simple saying it. Doing it is a whole other story. We barely made it to the gate, which, of course, Dimitri blamed on himself.

"Oh, shut up." I said, smacking him in the arm once we were seated. He had made me take the window seat so he could "protect me more easily." He said he blocked the only opening that a Strigoi could get. Well, him and the fat dude next to him.

"Sorry," he said. "I shouldn't complain. At least we made it."

The flight attendant announced where we were going, the time, temperature, all that good stuff, and we were off. Dimitri actually paid attention to the five minute safety thing, nodding and consulting his pamphlet at the appropriate times. I laughed, leaning over and resting my head on the window. To my pleasant surprise, a few seconds later Dimitri reached over and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him. Since I fully intended to sleep the whole flight, I threw the remains of my burrito at the fat dude, who's name was Herb, that kept trying to make conversation. I'm pretty sure it shut him up. After a minute or two of no sleep, I tried compelling myself to sleep. Nothing. So I counted sheep - and I got to, like, three hundred. I eventually sat up and snatched Dimitri's cowboy novel.

"Hey," he said, crossing his arms and almost pouting in this adorable way.

"Sorry, comrade," I said. "I need something to do. Otherwise I'll die of boredom," I said. He rolled his eyes and opened a magazine. I dog eared his page, and flipped back to the beginning. To my surprise, it wasn't half-bad. By the end of the flight, Cowboy Danny was capturing them varmints that killed Old Man Jenkins. Or, you know, something like that. I really didn't get past chapter one - I just said that to bug Dimitri.

"Oh, Rose."

After the taxi dropped us off in Seattle, Dimitri and I were faced with a problem - where would we get a house on such short notice? The first thing we did was go to the bank, and Dimitri withdrew a bunch of the money from his account, handing half of it to me. "Here you are, Ms. Hathaway," he smiled at my weird and random alias.

I laughed, then had an idea. "We could stay on a college campus," I said like my idea was the most brilliant thing in the world.

He thought about it. "That actually could work." We walked a few blocks to the rental car place.

"Oh!" I said, jumping up and down like a child. "I want that one." I said, pointing to a bright red Lamborghini.

"Rose." He said. "You buy that one, not rent."

So, feeling sneaky and badly wanting the car, I snuck over to the "Buy" counter while Dimitri was at the "Rent" counter. "I'll take the red Lambo, please," I said. The guy looked really shocked, but handed me some paperwork and told me the price. Which, you know, I paid for in cash, to his immense surprise.

"Damn," he said under his breath. I signed the papers, and he handed me the keys.

I lovingly stroked the hood, and walked around to the driver's side. I opened the door, totally loving the buttery tan interior color. I started it, revving the engine. Dimitri turned around, mouth hanging open. "Look what I bought!" I yelled over the engine. He just shook his head and turned back to the counter, probably canceling the rental. He walked around to the driver's side, crossing his arms until I rolled down the window.

He cocked his eyebrow. "Really?" He said sarcastically. I nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, Rose." He sighed. "I have to drive."

"Oh, no fucking way." I said, smiling quite evilly. "I have my permit, and you're an adult." He rolled his eyes. "And, you know, it's my car."


	6. Chapter 6 official

**Heyyys! **

**Haha, so a lot of you may be wondering...**

**WTF with the last chapter? **

**Muaha, yes, Rose bought a Lamborghini. Personally, I would've preferred a Porsche, but, well, she IS Rose...**

**So I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you SO much for the reviews! They keep me motivated! **

**And those of you that read St. Anna's, so so so sorry I haven't updated! I have major writers block...**

**Bleh. **

**So. **

**You probably want to read now. **

**Well TOO STINKING BAD**

**Jk, jk. What kind of author would I be if I didn't let people read my fics? **

**D: **

**A bad one, indeed. **

**Indeed. **

**Muaha. **

**So yeah. **

**Chapter...whatever I'll name it once I check. I think it's six...**

**Chapter maybe six! **

**

* * *

**

Six.

I really hated people sometimes. Dimitri had gotten us a spot in a dorm with two other people, Jeremy and Mia Rinaldi. They were like, twins or something. And Mia...well, she majorly pissed me off. She looked to be about twelve with her unnatural shortness, perfectly curled blonde hair, porcelain skin and big, hate-filled blue eyes and Jeremy was a bit taller and less evil. Mia had already flipped me off and made gaga eyes at Dimitri. Which put her on my _list. _Just kidding, I didn't even know what that whole "list" thing was about...it just sounded diabolical.

I had, ahem, "convinced" Jeremy to switch spots with me so I could be in the room with Dimitri and he with Mia the Bitch. He had, duh, complied, and Mia was...I don't know. Kind of smug that she had, as _she_ thought, kicked me out and ticked that she had to room with her brother.

Oh, well.

I helped Dimitri unpack our stuff, which took all of fifteen minutes, before going downstairs to the puny kitchen to eat a cookie. I walked back up to my room, holding a magazine, and plopped down on a beanbag that Jeremy had "accidentally" left in here.

"Cookie?" I offered Dimitri, holding out the over-sized chocolate chip cookie to him.

"No thanks," he said. He was currently sitting across from me, totally into his cowboy novel.

"At least sit on the beanbag," I said, scooting over and patting the spot next to me. He looked skeptical for some unknown, crazy person reason. "It'll help you protect me better," I said, attempting to waggle my eyebrows. And failed epically, I might add.

"Alright." He stood up, graceful as ever, and sat next to me. And it was a smallish beanbag, I might add. So it was nice and cozy. Dimitri was the perfect combination of fucking sexy muscles that were rock hard - yet he was totally cuddly. I loved it. Dimitri the teddy bear. My teddy bear.

"I love you, Dimitri," I said for the first time out loud. And I didn't even really mean it in a romantic way - just like I loved him like he was my brother, or my parent. Because he was that to me, too. He was my...everything.

Sensing my feelings, he replied, "I love you, too." He kissed the top of my head, standing up. "Come on, Roza." He hauled me to my feet, and I was tingling from his Russian nickname for me. "Rose," he corrected himself, a bit too late. Stupid angst. "We should probably go by some bed stuff so we can sleep tonight," he said.

I nodded. "We can take my car." I smiled.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Rose, we can take your highly ridiculous -"

I cut him off. "Don't talk about him that way!" I said, barely containing a giggle.

He paused. "_Him?_"

"Yep." I said, racking my head for a name. "His name is Carlos," I said.

"Carlos." Dimitri repeated.

"Is there something_ wrong _with that name, Dimitri? Do you have something against Mexican names?" I demanded.

He chuckled. "No, Rose. I just think it's a little much to name the car."

I laughed too. "It's not just a car. It's a Lamborghini." I rolled my tongue on the "R," making it sound way cooler. Sort of. I'm not really good at "R" rolling. I bumped Dimitri's arm. "You say it. You're Russian. You can do the tongue-roll thing," I said.

"Lamborghini," he said, smiling and rolling the "R" just like I had wanted. I hugged his arm.

"Thanks," I said. "And I was kidding. The Lambo's name is not Carlos. That's stupid." I laughed. "_It _doesn't have a name," I added. "Even I'm not that superficial."

Dimitri just shook his head. "You are incredibly unique, you know that?" he asked, stopping at the entrance of the garage.

"Unique is another word for special. Which could mean retarded. Are you calling me retarded?" I replied, making a puppy dog face.

He laughed, opening the garage door and unlocking the car. "No, Roza. You have a beautiful personality," he said, looking into my eyes for a moment and stroking my face. "I've never seen anyone like you." He drew me to him, and backed us against the wall. And we were so, so close as he leaned down and met my lips with his. I tangled my fingers in his hair, biting his bottom lip gently - which seemed like a bucket of cold water thrown on him. He abruptly broke away, but he looked pained, like it was the most difficult thing he had ever done. And, hey, maybe it was. I wouldn't know, would I? Because the stupid link or whatever was only one damn way. Ugh.

"Dimitri..." I said, laying my hand on his cheek.

"I can't, Roza. I can't," he said, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Yes, you can." I said.

"I'm a dhampir. You're a Moroi," he said.

"Irrelevant," I replied. "Here, we're both human."

"You're an Ivashkov. A royal. I'm a Belikov, a nothing." He tried.

"Belikov is royal to me," I shot back. "Besides, royals don't exist here."

"You're fifteen...I'm twenty-two," he said, grasping at straws. He looked pained, desperate for an excuse that seemed reasonable to both of us that would stop this madness that people called love.

"We're in love, deny it all you want. Age doesn't really matter,"

"It goes against everything I've ever known."

"We've run away from everything either of us has ever known, haven't we?" I said.

"Yes," he looked up at me. Pieces of his chocolate brown hair had escaped from his ponytail, and fell in his face in an incredibly mysterious and sexy way. He was frowning, and I saw so much emotion in his eyes; Sadness, anger, defiance. Love. It was almost as good as seeing into his head.

"I love you," I said in a different way than before. And I meant it, too. My voice cracked from emotion a little bit, and my eyes welled up with tears. "Can't you love me, too?" I asked. Dimitri immediately responded, folding me into his arms and holding me tightly...but saying nothing. "Dimitri?" I sniffed.

"I more than love you, Roza, if such a thing exists," he said quietly.

"Love exists, Dimitri," I said. "No matter how ridiculous, how awful, how heartbreaking. It exists." Weird how we had been joking about Carlos and now we were confessing our undying love for each other (more or less).

He said nothing, simply tilting my head up and kissing me with so much love, so much sweetness. Bliss. The world was right again for that moment. He broke away, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "I will always love you, my Roza."

* * *

An hour later, we were roaming the halls of Walmart, trying to find some decent bedding. I had suggested some spaceship bedding for Dimitri...but he had decided it wasn't "manly" enough, or something. Pfft. Spaceships were awesome. He had just found some boring, white sheets with a navy duvet.

"Dude." I said, crossing my arms and looking at his depressing selection.

"What?" He replied, confused.

"That has got to be the most depressing set of bed sheets I have ever seen." I said, smirking. "You should've gone with the rocket ships."

He rolled his eyes. "Hurry. It's almost sunset," he said, ever the overprotective wannabe mom.

"'Kay." I said, scanning the aisle and locating some red and gold sheets. "Perfect," I whispered to myself. Red and gold. It just screamed me. Plus, they were some sort of silk...or so it said. You never really knew with Walmart. I put the plastic cube into the blue cart, along with at least five extra pillows. Dimitri sighed, but said nothing about my odd ways.

"You'll need, like, two, and I need three," I said. I slept weird. So what?"

"True," he said, nodding like I had made a smart choice. Which I totally had. I was known to have my moments, after all.

We payed in cash, once again, and loaded the stuff into the Lambo. It didn't have a backseat, so half of the pillows got to sit with Dimitri. He just looked kind of pissed off that his manliness was diluted by a fluffy pink pillow. To make it up to him, I made up is bed (sort of) and had both of them ready by at least midnight. So I'm not so good with bed making. I tried, okay? And, three hours later, it looked great.

Dimitri laughed at my efforts and changed into his standard flannel pajama pants, getting into bed after kissing me goodnight.

"Goodnight, Dimitri," I said.

"I love you, Rose," he replied.

* * *

After a few hours of staring at the ceiling, I decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. I quietly got out of bed, silently walking across the room to Dimitri's bed. He slept on his back somewhere near the middle of the bed, so I peeled back the sheets and pressed myself against him, resting my head on his shoulder and my hand on his chest.

"I love you, Dimitri."

* * *

**Yay! Another chapter IN DA BAG!**

**Or whatever. **

**So yeah! I really liked this one...it's sweet, you know? I want a Dimitri. **

**Who doesn't?**

**So a lot of you are probably thinking: **

**"Whoa. A bit fast there, huh Maddie?" **

**No. Because I know what will happen! When they will/won't return to St. Vlad's! Who else will go after Rose!  
So the romance must come now...or be lost forever!**

**You may have noticed by now that I'm a bit dramatic. **

**Hey, it's pretty cool. **

**So have you seen the Hangover?**

**Freakin love that movie...**

**What do tigers dream of**

**When they take a little tiger snooze...**

**Do they dream of mauling zebras? **

**Or Halle Berry in her catwoman suit...**

**So don't you worry your pretty striped head we're gonna get you back to Tyson and your cozy tiger bed and then we're gonna find our best friend Doug and then we're gonna give him a best friend hug**

**Doooooouuuugg Dooouuuuugg Ohhhhhh **

**Doug Doug Doug Dougy Doug Doug**

**But if he was murdered **

**by crystal meth drinkers...**

**Then we're shit out of luck. **

**Sorry. I have that stuck in my head...I love that song! Stu is amazing! **

**Lol, so yeah. Enough about Tigers. **

**You guys get two Q's of the day, since I was half asleep last chapter and forgot to post one!**

**Q of the yesterday: **

**What color is your hair? **

**Q of today: **

**Have you seen the Hangover?**

**So yeah! Please review! They make me a happy camper!  
Click **

**The **

**Button**

**Click **

**Click **

**The button**

**See? I made a little cheer there...**

**I SHOULD BE A CHEERIO! YAY! **

**Lol.  
So**

**Review? Fav?  
**

**PLEASE?  
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	7. Chapter 7 official

**Heyyy again! **

**So, yesh, another update. :D YAY! **

**Okay I won't be able to update tomorrow because I'm going to camp..yay...*cough*  
**

**And then, ya know, I can't update until the next Saturday cos I'll be out in the wilderness...enjoying nature (haha, right) toasting marshmallows (LIGHTING THEM ON FIRE) and living without electronics...(sob) **

**So, yeah. It's called Skyranch, in Texas. If you're going this week, that's stinking awesome and you should PM me or something. :D **

**So yeah. **

**Anyways, back to my semi-amusing ramble! **

**I just realized I haven't yet posted a disclaimer!  
Muaha. **

**How do you know I'm not Richelle Mead? **

**Teehee. **

**I'm not...btw...I'M MADDIE!  
**

**You know what's cool? Glee! I love that show!  
That was what my whole "I'm a cheerio" thing was about at the end of Chapter Six...incase you didn't know...**

**Okay I get it. You want to read the story now...Jeez...no need to be so PUSHY gosh**

**ok **

**i'll shut up now. **

**ENJOY AND REVIEW! **

**

* * *

**After about a week or so of tedious, monotonous, _nothing, _Dimitri relaxed a little bit. He finally let me walk down the stairs to the kitchen unsupervised. And I'm not even exaggerating here. He watched me _all the damn time. _Of course, some times, like when I got out of the shower...or, ahem, _lost _my shirt...well, then I didn't mind so much. Because it usually resulted in some sort of physical reward on my part.

Which was always fun.

One thing, though, that he really _did _ease up on was our relationship. _He _kissed _me _now as often as I kissed him. And tonight he planned on taking me to dinner.

I had been...well, shocked to say the least. Dimitri wasn't really big on public displays of affection - and now he was basically announcing our dating status to the world. The human world, at least. But the good news was that we intended to stay in the human world for the foreseeable future - a majorly good thing, in my eyes.

So here I stood, in the bathroom, fixing my hair and pulling out freshly bought makeup. When I had packed my bag, I hadn't seen makeup as a necessity - and I sure as Hell didn't think I would be going on a _date. _With _Dimitri. _I kept it simple - since simple was really my only option. I carefully outlined my eyes with a dark brown eyeliner, and swept on a few coats of mascara along with some foundation and blush. I really didn't need makeup, I looked fine without it - I had long, black lashes and clear skin...but it was always nice to dress up. I had gone and bought a simple, yet elegant black dress that came a few inches above my knees, and clung to my skin more than a lot. I loved it, it was just so...Rose. And I was almost certain Dimitri would, too.

I was ready around seven, walking downstairs to the kitchen to meet Dimitri. He was sitting at the table, talking with Jeremy, when he heard my footsteps. He turned around, and seemed to barely be able to control himself when he laid eyes on me.

_Good. _

"Rose," he said, standing up and walking toward me. "You look..."

"Hot," Jeremy supplied. Dimitri whipped his head around, shooting him a death glare before turning back to me. I peeped around Dimitri's shoulder at a very frightened and red Jeremy.

"Beautiful," he whispered, brushing my hair away from my shoulder. "As always."

"Get a room," snipped Mia as she came down the stairs.

"At least I have a date that's _not _my brother," I shot back. Dimitri just shook his head.

"He isn't my date!" She nearly screamed.

"Uh huh." I said, tugging Dimitri's arm. "Let's go, Dimitri," he opened the door for me as I blocked out a fuming Mia.

"Oh, Rose." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder "No need to be so rude,"

"Yeah, I was the rude one," I mumbled.

"Sometimes, Rose, you just need to be the bigger person. Rise above her...well, for lack of a better word, _shit."_ He quirked his lips into a smile.

I laughed. "I don't need zen life lessons, comrade," I said, leaning into his shoulder.

"You'd be surprised," he said mysteriously before opening the car door for me and getting in the driver's side.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"A place," he said. I appraised his clothes; he was semi formal, I think it was called, with a white shirt under...well, shit. It was his formal guardian uniform.

"Dimitri." I said.

"Yes, Rose?" He replied sweetly.

"Why the Hell are you wearing your guardian uniform?"

He blushed. "Sorry, Roza. It was the only...formal thing I had," he replied, looking ashamed.

I immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, Dimitri," I said. "It doesn't matter." I took his hand twisting it toward me to kiss his palm.

"I love you," was all he said. We fell into a comfortable silence for the last five minutes of the drive, and he eventually pulled into some Italian restaurant. "I know you love Italian," he said.

"I do," I replied, staring at the building. As a rule, most Moroi my age didn't see much civilization. All of this was fairly new to me. "A lot," I added, getting out of the car. He smiled, taking my hand and speaking to the hostess about our reservation.

"Right this way," she said, gesturing with her hands and led us to a small, dimly lit corner of the restaurant. I badly wanted to sit next to Dimitri, but I restrained myself and sat opposite him. "Your server will be with you shortly," she added.

I picked up my menu, scanning the options. Which were all in Italian. "I don't suppose you speak Italian, too, do you?" I asked Dimitri.

He laughed. "No, Roza. Just Russian and English,"

"Why aren't there any Russian restaurants?" I demanded. "Seriously. There is just about every other nationality except Russian." I said.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Rose, to you? Russian letters would look like gibberish. Here," he said, pulling a pen out of his pocket and writing something on a napkin. He pushed it toward me, and I picked it up.

"Noahrn," I said, trying to read it. It was an "N" looking thing, or maybe a square without a bottom, an "O", an "A" with little flaps at the bottom, an "H," a backward "R" and a little "N" with a swoop on the left.

He laughed. "See? I wrote your name. Roza." He smiled.

"Oh." I sighed. "I was going to guess that next...but seriously. That's a stupid alphabet." I fumed.

"It is very different from English," he said, smiling.

"It seems impossible to learn...but you know what? I think your Russian accent is incredibly sexy." I smiled my man-eating smile. Then, like the little bitch I was sure he was, the stupid waiter came and ruined the moment.

And freaking _ogled _me. Bitch.

"May I take your order?" He asked me, completely ignoring the very pissed off Russian seated across from me.

"Um..." I said, nudging Dimitri under the table in a calm-down sort of way. "A Coke for me...and what do you want, Dimitri?" I asked.

"Water." He said.

"Yeah, uh huh," the waiter said, turning his attention back to me. "You look simply _ravishing _tonight," he said, smiling mischeviously at me. He'd be kind of hot, really, if I didn't have the perfect man sitting across from me. He had blonde hair and green-blue eyes, and he was pretty tall himself. "I'm Jesse, by the way." He smiled.

"Yeah." I said before Dimitri cut in.

"You should leave now," he said rather intimidatingly. I mean, who _wouldn't _be scared of a seriously tall, seriously buff, and seriously pissed off Russian guy? Jesse nodded quickly, scampering away. Dimitri sat back down, still looking a bit edgy.

"Sorry," I said.

"Not your fault," he replied, smoothing his features. "_I'm _sorry. I shouldn't've reacted like that." he said.

"Yes, you should have." I said. "Well, no. You shouldn't have made him practically pee himself. You can be quite scary, you know." I said matter-of-factly.

"I really don't blame him, though. You look..." he openly appraised me for a minute. "...Amazing. Gorgeous. Perfect," he said. "There aren't words to describe you."

I smiled. "You really think that?" I was touched at his...well, at his openness. I still couldn't get over the feeling that this was too good to be true, this seemingly perfect world I had created with Dimitri. Like it would all suddenly...disappear. Dimitri would go back to being unresponsive guardian man, and I would go back to being the last Ivashkov. I didn't want that, not now, not ever.

"Yes." He took my hand. "And...I have to apologize again, Rose," he said.

"Why?" I asked. To me, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"For..." he searched for the right words. "For delaying this for so long. Not admitting to anyone, not even myself...that I loved you." He sighed. "Rose, I would never hurt you. I would never leave you. And I would do anything for you. You know that, right?" he asked.

"I do know that," I said. "You've shown me." I sighed. "And I forgive you. It was just as much me," I said.

"No." He replied. "It didn't start then, at the motel. Rose, I've loved you almost as long as I've been guarding you. I just suppressed the emotion, thinking it would go away, and _knowing _you would never return it," he said. "But now? Here the two of us are, on a date, as normal as a vampire and half-vampire could ever be." He chuckled. "As normal as you and I could ever be."

Jesse, the bastard, picked that moment to return with our drinks. "Water," he said, quickly setting Dimitri's drink on the table and turning to me. "and Coke." He smiled. "Where were we?"

"No where." I replied. "You were taking our order, like a _waiter _is supposed to do," I said, a bit rudely. But this guy was seriously a jerk.

He sighed. "What can I get you?" his words weren't too cleverly disguised. A four year old would notice the double and sexual meaning.

"Spaghetti with meatballs," I said.

"Steak." Dimitri said. "Well-done."

"I'll have that right out." He walked off with a wink in my direction.

"I love_ you," _I said in an attempt to calm Dimitri down.

"I know." He replied, taking a deep breath. "And you are mine."

"Possessive?" I teased.

"Yes." He said simply, smiling. He sighed, turning serious once again. "I love you, Roza. I don't know how I, a dhampir, would ever in a million years be so lucky as to have you...as _mine. _I'm worried...that it will all fall apart, somehow. And I'll do anything and everything in my power to make it stay together."

"Me, too," I said, feeling like a total loser in comparison to his awesome and dramatic mini-speech.

"You aren't a total loser," he said in response to my thoughts. I giggled.

"Thanks," I said, smiling. "I'll be right back," I said, standing up. Dimitri nodded, settling back into his seat.

And guess who I bumped into on my way to the bathroom? Jesse.

"Well, hello, sexy," he smiled, wrapping his fingers around my wrists and pushing me into a corner. "No need to throw yourself at me."

"Hardly," I said, trying to escape. And then?

The fucking bastard fucking started kissing me.

"Let _go," _I said, trying - and failing - to push him away. He held both of my wrists in his hand and started to _feel me up. _

_I'm going to fucking get _raped, I thought.

"Let me the Hell _go_!" I yelled, emphasizing with some compulsion and struggling as much as I was capable of.

Then Dimitri came around the corner. He silently stalked up behind Jesse, ripping him away from me and smashing him against the wall. He held him by his shirt collar and pressed him against the womens' restroom door. "Don't. Ever. Even. Look. At her. Again." He said, glaring daggers at Jesse. He nodded quickly and repeatedly. In one smooth motion, Dimitri let go of Jesse and punched him into the womens' room. The funny thing was, the door didn't open inward.

Bad. Ass.

"Let's go," Dimitri said, taking my hand walking back out to the car. We got in, and Dimitri immediately tore out of the parking lot and onto the highway. He pulled over after a few minutes of tense silence.

"I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly, pushing his hair back in a gesture that I had come to know as frustration.

"It's okay, Dimitri," I said, unbuckling and climbing over to soothe him. "I'm fine."

"I should've gotten there sooner. That _bastard..._" he trailed off, surely thinking dark thoughts.

I took his face in my hands. "Dimitri." I said, looking him in the eye. "I'm fine, okay? He was just some horny high schooler, and I happened to be the closest female." I said.

"I should've..."

"Dimitri. Stop it. If not for your sake, for mine, okay? Stop feeling guilty. It's making me feel guilty." I said.

"What...what else did he do to you?" he asked grudgingly.

"He just kissed me and fondled me, Dimitri. I'm okay. You got there in plenty of time, and you pushed him through a "pull" door. I couldn't ask for a better guardian," I said truthfully.

Instead of replying, he crushed his lips to mine, pushing me against the steering wheel and accidentally honking the horn with my back. "Shit," I giggled, climbing into the backseat and pulling him with me. It was silent except for the whisper of our lips in synchronization, and the occasional moan from me. Through our heated make out session, Dimitri unzipped my dress and dropped it to the floor.

"You sure got rid of that dress fast," I whispered. "I thought you liked it?"

"I _do _like it," he said. "I love it, actually," he moved his lips to my neck, gently sucking the hollow of my throat.

I took off his jacket, then his shirt, before reality seemed to hit him.

"Roza..." he said, breaking away for a moment. "Are...are you sure?"

"Yes," I breathed, looking up at him. I was under him, in the backseat of a Lamborghini, on the side of the road. His hair had come free of its ponytail, and it hung around his face. I loved it. Loved him. He didn't say anything, crushing his lips to mine again. We stayed like that for a few more minutes before he pulled back again.

"Not here," he said finally.

"Why?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrow. "In a car? No." He smiled. "I swear, though. As soon as we get home..." he trailed off, gazing at my naked flesh. I had only a see-through black lace bra and thong on. Hey, it's better to come prepared, right?

Then, he did the most surprising thing. He pulled me into a sitting position, then onto his lap with my legs on either side of him. He kissed me for another minute or so before baring his neck.

"Dimitri..." I said. "That's..." It was dirty. Tabooed. On blood-whore territory.

"We've run away from anything either of us has ever known, haven't we?" He said, repeating my words from earlier. He gently pushed my face toward his neck, and I obliged, quickly pecking his jaw and sinking my fangs into his neck.

And _oh. _It was almost as good as sex, or so I imagined, since I hadn't ever done it before. They said drinking blood while aroused was one of the most amazing things you could experience.

And it _was. _

I broke off a minute or so later, collapsing against his chest. He fell back into a horizontal position, pulling me with him. "I love you," he whispered into my hair.

Damn. This was still so...unlike him.

Then, as if to remind me what I had to lose? We heard the unearthly sound of a howling psi-hound.

* * *

**Holy guacamole. **

**LOONG chapter, huh? **

**Well, you probably noticed that Mia is Mia, and Jesse is Jesse. If you haven't...well...there are doctors for that. **

**Hehe. So we finally got some ACTION! YEAH! **

**And poor Dimitri. His date was ruined by stupid poopy Jesse! **

**Grr! Hahah, oh, well. He got his cummuppits! (Or however you spell that!) **

**And then it all had to be ruined with the stupid psi-hound. That just sucks, you know? When you're suckin' some of your lover's sex blood and then OOOOOOOO magic vampire doggy gonna KILL YOUR ASS**

**Not good, my friends. Not good at all.**

**Ah, well. You'll have to wait till next Sunday to see what happens! Will drugged up Dimitri fight off the psi-doggies? **

**Will Jesse come back to raep Rose? **

**Will they even LIVE? **

**Find out next time in..**

**THE LAST ROSE! YAY! **

**Hehehe. **

**So yeah! And I'm really really sorry I can't update! Ifeelsobad!**

***cries***

**SORRY OKAY? **

**Just entertain yourself with some of my other amazing stories. Jk, they probably aren't that amazing, but you should still go review them anyway!**

**And, to keep ya busy...**

**Russian Swear Words by Ms. Damon Salvatore!**

**New Lives by Dimitri's Shadowhunter! **

**Win a Kiss by Guardian D! **

**The Motel by lena rusakova! **

**Chapter Seventeen by AsheMoon!**

**Dimitri's Sick Day by Specre-Desoriente!  
**

**Did you say you were a vampire? By Dhampire Rose!**

**Perfect Harmony by Delicate Soul! (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!)**

**Secrets in Past and Shadows by Thomagota!**

**The Last Dragomir by Lizzydhamp1901!**

**There are more amazing ones out there, so I am posting recommendations every chapter now...yay! **

**Lol, welp, that's all I've got! :D **

**Okaykay! Love y'all! Pm me if you're going to skyranch!  
REVIEW!  
REVIEW!  
REVIEW!**

**Please? **

**I will give you your own, shirtless Dimitri! **

**Or Adrian, if you like him...**

**And he WILL become part of the story soon, my friends! No worries! :D **

**So yeah. Review? **

**Please?  
Do it. *uses compulsion***

**Click that button! **

**CLICK IT! **

**DO IT NAO!**

**MUAHAHAHA!  
REVIEW, CHICKENS! PLEASE?**


	8. Chapter 8 official

**BAAAAAAAAAACK! **

**Haha, that seemed more dramatic in my mind than it probably was...**

**Hehe.**

**Well, anyway, did y'all miss me?**

**I bet you did! :D I feel so loved...**

**I really like this story, you know? **

**And I reaaaally like Dimitri. Mm. Sexylicious. **

**So you know what's cool? Glow sticks. **

**They are SO much fun! I just love those things...**

**So you know what? **

**Yeah, me either...I don't know what. **

**:D **

**Haha, I actually stopped typing and fell asleep while typing So you know what? hehe I forgot. **

**SO YEAH!  
I hope y'all enjoy this chapter...and did you guys like the last one? **

**Waffles. **

**As you MAY have noticed, I am incredibly random! **

**Did you go read the stories I recommended? :D I like those stories! **

**So. I will shut up and give you the long-awaited chapter 10. :)**

**Wait, no. Chapter nine. Math is NOT my best subject. **

**So yeah. **

**KK!**

* * *

Nine.

"No." I said, pressing my hands against the glass. "This isn't happening," I said. Psi hounds could ruin it all. Everything. Dimitri. My life here. Everything that actually _mattered. _

Just as it was getting perfect.

"Stay in the car, Rose." Said Dimitri.

"No way." I replied.

"You are _not _putting yourself at risk, Roza," he said, reading my intentions.

"Neither are you," I protested. He placed his hands on either side of my face, looking me in the eye.

"You come first_._" Was all he said before abruptly getting out of the car, gripping his stake and walking into the dark forest.

"You come first," I repeated. _They come first. _The saying drilled into guardians since birth. They, being Moroi, always came ahead of dhampirs. But for me? Dimitri came first. Love came first.

Which was exactly why I wasn't going to let a endorphin-high Dimitri that had just lost blood fight out there alone. I was almost positive the psi hounds were sent by the school - with specific orders to track me down and take down anyone or anything in my way. The anyone being Dimitri.

Don't get me wrong - on a _normal _night, when we had _not _been sexing it up, or Dimitri _wasn_'_t_ on an endorphin high? I had absolutely no doubt he could whoop their asses. But he was high, we had been sexing it up, and this was not a normal night.

Thanks, Universe.

And could I really sit here, not knowing if Dimitri was okay? Let him, quite literally, _die _for me?

No, absolutely not.

_But, _a small part of me argued, _you could heal him once it's over, right? _

Could I? I brought him back from the dead once...but could I do it again?

Whether I wanted to heal him or help him, I got out of the car with intentions to find Dimitri. I zipped up the back of my dress, and walked around to the trunk to look for any sort of weapon. I saw Dimitri's duster, which had _many _pockets, and decided that was my best bet. I slipped it onto my shoulders to make my search easier. I felt around the inside pockets, locating yet another cowboy novel, some cash, and, finally, a _gun. _

"Yes," I hissed, wadding the coat up and placing it back into the trunk. I wasn't exactly sure how to use it, so I went by the basics: Switch the safety off, pull the trigger, right? It looked to be about six shots. Hopefully there weren't more than six psi hounds.

I walked into the forest, listening intently for any signs of an animal growl or a human grunt. I finally heard a muted thud and a whimper, so, after a heart-stopping moment of thinking it was Dimitri, headed quickly in that direction. I heard more grunts and thuds as I got closer, and then hid behind a tree. I peered around the thick trunk, shivering in the cold night, at the scene that lay before me. At least two hounds lay on the ground, either dead or unconscious. Dimitri was engaged in combat with two of the sadistic creatures, looking pale but determined. He was winning.

That man truly was a god.

So I sidestepped the tree, carefully leveling the gun in front of me. I saw a look of shock register on Dimitri's face, the hounds' heads' turn at my scent, and a flash when I pulled the trigger. The kick startled me a bit, and would probably bruise my hands, but other than that, I was in one piece. I heard the Psi Hound Number One howl in pain, and sink to the ground.

"Don't fuck with Rose Hathaway." I said, liking my alias. It sounded badass.

Things happened quickly after that. In the same moment, two hounds and Dimitri shot toward me, Dimitri miraculously getting there first. He did a neat little roll-ninja-maneuver, knocking me to the ground and taking all of the heat with his bare back.

"Shit," he cursed aloud, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. I kept a hand on his face, healing whatever injuries the overgrown poodles inflicted. After a minute of Dimitri groping at my hand, I realized he wanted the gun. I gave it to him as carefully as I could, and he rolled over and fired the gun in one fluid motion. One doggie down. He quickly shot up into a kneeling position, shooting the other one quite nearly in the face. Then it was quiet, save for his heavy breathing.

"There's one more." He said. "It ran off, but it could be back. _Stay here." _He added, standing up and striding deeper into the forest. I heard another bang and howl after a few minutes, then Dimitri trudged back toward me. I stared in horror and awe at him as I appraised his wounds. He had multiple claw marks on his arms, legs and chest, and there was literally, like, a small chunk torn out of his thigh.

"Oh, Dimitri," I said, standing up to sort of catch him as he collapsed. I managed to move him so his head rested in my lap, and stroked his face gently. "Dimitri," I said again. "I'm so sorry," I placed my hand on his chest first, and watched as the larger gashes slowly healed over and faded into pink lines that would take stitches and months of recovery to accomplish. Wanting to take out the worst stuff, I put my hand on his thigh and summoned all of the joy and colors and happiness I had. It took a while, but it started to work and the gash became more normal.

"Not your fault," he grunted in reply. "Would do anything for you," he added, panting heavily.

Once I was finished with that particularly gruesome gash, I held his hand and began the slow process of healing his arms. "Me, too," I said truthfully.

"You should've stayed in the car." He said, more coherent now. Uh oh.

"No. You might have-" I choked up a little bit. "-died...and I wouldn't be able to handle that, Dimitri. If you die, I die. That's how it works now." I said, watching a tear roll down my cheek and land on Dimitri's shoulder.

"Don't cry, my Roza," he said, closing his eyes. "I just hate to see you...in danger. Because I'm your guardian, I'm obligated to protect you," he said, stating the obvious. "But since I love you, I have to protect you. When anything threatens you...I have to eliminate the threat, just because...I love you. There really isn't any other way to describe it."

He was almost fully healed now - and I was incredibly weak and shaky. "Same with me, Dimitri. Except I'm a Moroi with absolutely no fighting skills whatsoever,"

"Moroi aren't supposed to need fighting skills." He said. "Leave the fighting to the guardians," he sat up.

"No. I should be able to help, too. Maybe I'll specialize in fire, and maybe I can help you kill off Strigoi or whatever, but I won't just sit on the sidelines while you play superhero and save my day every time," I said, pouting. He pulled me into his lap.

"It's my job. As your guardian, and as your boyfriend," he chuckled. "That doesn't seem like the right word, does it?"

"No," I agreed, sighing. "It should be, like, manfriend or something." I said.

"Manfriend," he repeated, laughing some more. I could just _hear _The Emotionless One smiling, and I smiled too.

"I love you," I said, tucking my head into his shoulder.

"I love you, too," I replied.

"Roza?" He asked.

"Yeah?" I said, looking up and noticing he was looking intently at me.

"Would you mind..." he sighed. "Nevermind."

"What, Dimitri?" I demanded.

"I was just going to suggest we relocate, at least for a while." He blushed.

"Where?" I asked, intrigued by the idea.

"Well..." he sighed. "Russia."

"Seriously?" I asked. "That would be so cool. I've never been," I mused.

He laughed. "The buildings there are so beautiful. Time was spent building some of them. Like works of art," he said, speaking of his homeland in a revering sort of way. "I would love to take you there." He smiled.

"And I would love to go," I said. "We really are escaping this time, huh? Not even psi hounds could track us to Russia,"

He laughed. "That's the idea, Rose." He stood up, towing me with him. We began the walk back to the car, hand in hand.

"Dimitri?" I asked. "Can you teach me how to fight?"

He stopped in his tracks. "What?" He asked, shocked.

"Can you, Dimitri Belikov, teach me, Rosemarie Ivashkov, how to fight?"

"Like a mentor." He said. "Like you're a dhampir."

"Yes,"

"I..." he sighed. "Alright. Training starts at seven-fifteen tomorrow. Don't be late," he joked.

I smiled. "Don't go easy on me, okay? Pretend I'm actually a dhampir,"

"Alright." He lied. Normally, I couldn't tell a lie from truth with him, but I knew there was absolutely no way Dimitri would try his absolute hardest when he sparred or whatever with me. Whatever.

"And one more thing," I said. "Does your offer from earlier in the car still stand?" I asked.

He laughed. "Of course."

"Then we better drive home fast," I smiled.

* * *

**Bleh. I'm most likely going to redo this chapter, so look out for that. Hope you liked it, even though it's a piece of poopoo**

**Um, so, yeah. Expect more updates! Love y'all!**

**And, no, I'm not really big on lemons, so I won't do one of those chapters unless someone volunteers to write it. Lol. So, yeah, that's an option, reviewers! **

**HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, BTW!  
So yeah, I'm going to go eat some Jell O or something, then squash mushrooms. **

**Bubbles are awesome, huh? **

**Have you ever been skydiving? **

**It's pretty fun. **

**Well, like, indoor skydiving, in that tube thing. Lol. Funness! **

**Okay so BYE! **

**LUV YA!  
Oh, Q of the Day**

**What do you picture Dimitri Belikov looks like?  
**


	9. Chapter 9 official

_***UPDATE* I CHANGED THE ENDING, PEOPLE! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**_

**Heyo! **

**Haha, I really don't even know what that word means...**

**Anyways, thanks so so so much for all of the reviews I got the last chapter! Maybe it wasn't so suckish after all, you know? **

**And I need to clarify...**

**Yes, Rose did say "Don't fuck with Rose Hathaway," because she's sick of being this royal Moroi that has to fit in with society. If you'll remember, she changed her name in Chapter Two to Hathaway because of Janine. So yes, she still is technically an Ivashkov, but, well, she's not happy about it. So there you go. **

**Yay! They're going to Russia! I've been excited for this part for a while now...**

**Hehe**

**Oh, and because I'm completely braindead, I thought the LAST chapter was chapter nine, when, in fact, it is chapter eight...Jeez. That's sad, huh? **

**So. **

**What's your fav color? **

**I like silver, personally. **

**Is that even a color?**

**So. Yeah. **

**K. **

**Bye. **

**I don't want to talk to you anymore...**

**LEAVE ME ALONE  
**

**!**

**Jk, jk. I luffs you!**

**Or do I?**

**MUAHAHA!  
**

**REVIEW!

* * *

**

Nine. Seriously.

To my dismay, Dimitri cancelled our training the next morning in order to pack for Russia. So, in reality, it was kind of like a compromise, because I made him pack all of my stuff for waking me up early _anyway. _

I lounged on his bed, eating a bowl of cheerios as he went through my drawers. "Why don't you work on the..._undergarments _drawer?" I asked mischeviously. I heard him chuckle and continue folding clothes.

"Roza, if you successfully seduce me, we'll never get packed," he said, smiling wistfully at me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. 'We?' I thought _you _were packing because you woke me up at this godforsaken hour," I teased, flicking a cheerio at him. And, in reality, I _was _extremely tired. We had gotten home around two, started half-heartedly making out, and fell asleep. Talk about pathetic. Then Dimitri had woken me up at six AM, telling me we had a flight to Russia at one PM. So, I was slightly pissed asked him why the _Hell _he had woken me up so early, and he said it was better to be safe than sorry. Pfft. So he'd offered to pack for me. Although, looking back, I should've made him take his shirt off...

"You're supervising, aren't you?" he asked. So he was in a good mood. Who knew? Sex on a plane might not be that bad...

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me!" I said. He had literally had a smile on his face all morning. Probably at the prospect of showing me his homeland and seeing his family. _I'd _be pretty damn excited, too, if I got to see my family again.

Like that was ever happening.

"I'm sorry, Roza," Dimitri said, drawing me into his lap. "You will always have me," he added, kissing my hair.

"My family said that, too," I said miserably.

"I promise, Roza," he whispered in my ear.

"I believe you," I whispered back, gazing into his gorgeous eyes. I leaned my forehead in so that it touched his, and closed my eyes. Dimitri. If he was the one I brought back from the dead, he was obviously the right one, right? The Universe and God or whatever couldn't be that stinking cruel. At least give me _something. _Some_one. _And really? It seemed like I had everything I would ever need in him. He truly wouldn't leave me. "God." I said, sighing. "I've become such a..._marshmallow," _I said.

Dimitri laughed. "Having emotions isn't a bad thing, Rose," he smiled.

"Says the one who rarely smiles," I teased, poking his chest.

"Alright. Well, that was back when I was a hired guardian. Now, I'm your guardian, and your...what was that word?" he asked.

"Manfriend."

"Ah. Right. Manfriend, so, now, I can smile and have emotions as much as I want." To prove his point, he smiled. _And _laughed.

"Are you alright?" I joked, feeling his forehead. "Maybe we should take you to a doctor..."

"I'm fine, my Roza," he said, standing up to finish packing. "You should get dressed," he added.

"Okay." I said, sliding in front of him to grab some jeans and a v-neck. I walked to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and, for the hell of it, straightened my hair. Why not, you know? I had a lot of time. Once I was finished, I rubbed some moisturizer into my skin and curled my lashes. It was the most made-up I'd been in a while, surprisingly.

I tossed my stuff in my bag, and went to wash out my bowl of cheerios. I assumed Mia and Jeremy were at school, by the odd quiteness of the house. And I would _finally _be rid of that total bitch, Mia. Ugh. I picked up some magazines - probably Mia's - and sat at the table, flipping through the pages for a good thirty minutes before Dimitri came down with our measly two bags.

"You _do _have tickets, right?" I asked.

He sighed. "Of course, Roza. I got them early this morning." He smiled. "Come on." He handed me my bag, and I grabbed a banana and granola bar on our way out. Dimitri got in the driver's side after opening the door for me, and the car was soon revving its way to the Tacoma airport.

"Wait." I said. "What about Carlos? Will he just live at this airport?" I asked.

Dimitri frowned. "I thought we established that, no, the car does not have a name." He said. "But, yes. I think we can have it sent to Russia, even."

I sighed in relief. "Good."

I leaned against the hood while Dimitri made arrangements for Carlos (I mostly just said that to bug him) and we walked up to the front desk lady.

"Hello, and welcome to Tacoma International," she said, way to perky for my liking. "How may I help you?"

"We have pre-ordered tickets to Vancouver," Dimitri said.

"Names?"

"Dimitri Belikov and Rosemarie Ivashkov," he said, wincing on my name like the very word would get us caught.

She typed some stuff, and asked for Dimitri's I.D. It was legal and whatnot, and she handed us a package of tickets and receipts. We walked through security, and to the other end of the airport where the Vancouver terminal was located.

"How long does it take to fly to Russia?" I asked.

Dimitri smiled. "A while. We go to Vancouver from here, then to Frankfurt, and then on to Saint Petersburg. The car should be there, and we'll most likely stay at a hotel for the night, and then we can drive to Baia."

"Baia?" I asked.

"My hometown," he explained.

"Oh." I said. A dhampir commune. A blood whore village.

"They really aren't what they come across as, Roza. It's a closely-knit community of nice people," he said. "Not at all like what the rumors say. Not at all," he said.

"Do you have family there?" I asked.

He smiled. "Yes. My mother, Olena, my three sisters, Viktoria, Karolina, and Sonya, and my grandmother Yeva."

"Olena, Viktoria, Karolina, Sonya, Yev...ah?" I repeated, trying to learn the names.

"Yay-vah," he pronounced.

"Yeva. Got it," I said. "Will they...like me?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "Of course. Who wouldn't like you?"

"No, I mean...because I'm Moroi." I said.

"Roza, that has nothing to do with it. They'll love you, I swear."

"Are Viktoria, Karolina, and Sonya your half-sisters?" I asked.

He smiled and glared at the same time. "No. We all share the same father. He was rather...fond of my mother." He grimaced. "He would always...visit, and he'd beat her. I was thirteen at the time,"

"_Please_ tell me you beat him up," I said.

"I did." He smiled.

"Sweet," I said. "That bastard deserved it."

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

Twenty-two long, grueling hours later, we arrived in Russia at ten-thirty AM. Dimitri suggested we go ahead and start the drive to Baia, as it would take us more than a day.

"Wonderful." I said, stretching and reclining the seat so I could lay down with intentions to sleep. I didn't, however. I looked out the window at the truly beautiful buildings that surrounded me. Dimitri would point out stuff and explain it to me, and I all but demanded he take me on a real tour sometime.

He chuckled. "Alright, Rose." He smiled. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I thought you were exaggerating," the city eventually fell behind us and there was nothing but pure, untainted grasslands surrounding us. Even _that _was beautiful. Freaking _grass. _"Sheep!" I said, noticing a big, white, fluffy blob around a half-mile away.

Dimitri laughed. "Yes."

"Why isn't America like this?" I asked.

He laughed. "In a way, America is better. Viktoria's wanted to live there ever since she was small,"

"Oh." I said. "It's, like, corrupt here, right?"

"It's gotten much better, definitely," he said. "It's not at all bad out in the country."

I nodded, turning on the radio. I got some static for a minute and then some angry Russians yelling at each other.

"Poleeteeka," Dimitri spat. "Politics." He translated, turning the dial to the only thing I could understand: Country music. Which I hated. Greatly.

"Really?" I said.

"It's this, the politics, which give _me _a migraine and I can speak the language, or Russian singers. Which aren't very good," he said.

"Fine. Country it is." I said, crossing my arms and listening to the hillbilly singin' about how he boot-scootin'-boogies all over the place. Ugh.

The sun was setting some time later, and I decided to ask what had been on my mind since this morning. "Are there Strigoi here?" I asked.

Dimitri looked grim. "Yes. Lots." He said. "We need to get off this road before night," he said.

"We're in the middle of...nowhere," I said. "Where do we go?"

"I know the family a few miles up the road. I imagine we can stay with them," he said. "At least, that's the plan."

So we drove for about five more minutes before coming upon a large farmhouse. Dimitri quietly parked the car, and told me to come with him. He kept his arm firmly around me, and kept glancing around until we got to the front door.

He knocked, and I heard muted footfalls on the other side. The door opened to reveal a kind-looking woman that looked to be in her late thirties. There was something about her, too, I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Maiskee min paw ma gaats vee?" She addressed Dimitri.

"Galina?" He said. "Zhaal tee, Dimka." He said.

She peered at him. "Dimka?" Then, I got it. She was a dhampir. Like Dimitri. "Leyn naa!" She waived us into her house.

"Galina," Dimitri said. "This is Rose." He said, introducing me in English.

"Hello, Rose," Galina said, smiling at me. "I haven't seen you in so long, Dimka...how have you been?"

Dimitri smiled. "Good." He turned to me. "Galina was my mentor when I was in school."

Galina nodded. "He was one of my best students," she had a thick Russian accent, but I could otherwise understand her clearly. "How can I help you, Dimka?" she asked.

"I hate to ask, but could we possibly stay here tonight?" Dimitri said.

"Of course!" She said immediately. "We only have one extra bedroom, though. Is that alright?" She glanced between the two of us; I was leaned against Dimitri's shoulder, and he had his arm around me.

"It's fine," I answered, smiling.

"Very good!" She said, standing up. "You must be hungry, Dimka?" she asked, walking to what I assumed was a kitchen.

"Yes," he said. "Rose, too," he added.

"Hmm," she said. "I don't have much...how about that black bread you loved so much, Dimka?" she smiled.

"That would be wonderful, Galina." He said. "Rose and I can go unpack, if that's alright,"

Galina nodded. "Go ahead. It's the room on the left," she said. Dimitri and I walked upstairs, and he set our bags on top of the dresser.

"So." I said.

"What?" Dimitri replied.

"Galina's your old..._mentor, _huh?" I asked suspiciously.

"Rose, she was just my mentor. Nothing at all like what you are to me," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Uh huh." I said, inspecting my nails. Which could stand a manicure. Or four. Yuck.

He sighed, standing before me. "Rose, I swear. She was my mentor when I was a guardian, okay?"

"Fine." I said, looking away.

"Rose..." Dimitri said.

"What?"

"I swear, Roza. I only love you." He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me passionately. _Finally _we see some action...I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him down onto the bed and -

The stupid _door _opened.

"Oh," Galina said, holding a plate with what looked like beyond burned bread. "I'm sorry," she blushed, closing the door.

"It's alright, Galina." Dimitri said. "My apologies,"

She laughed. "It's okay, Dimka." She smiled, handing him the plate. "Well, here you go. That's all I can make, unfortunately. I know you're a big eater...I'm actually planning on going into town tomorrow, so it's good I have a house-sitter anyway," she sighed. "Will you two be staying tomorrow?"

"Perhaps." Dimitri said. I nodded, too.

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I'm going to bed, and anything you need should be downstairs, so no need to ask! Goodnight, Dimka! Good night, Rose!" She said as she closed the door.

I flopped back down on the bed. "Damn interruptions," I said.

Dimitri laughed, pulling me into his arms. "I love you, Roza." He kissed my forehead. "_Only_ you."

* * *

**Aw! What a great way to fall asleep...**

**Thanks so much to IZZI for your review! It made me feel so warm and fuzzy! :D :D :D**

**And thanks so much for all of the reviews and support! I just love you guys! **

**So, I'll update later or tomorrow. And bug AlyssaBelikov to UPDATE HER STORY, CONSTELLATIONS!****?**

**Oh, and I CHANGED THE ENDING, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE READ MOST OF THIS CHAPTER!  
:D**

I was, like, short on time yesterday, so...blechhh. Lol. I actually saw Toy Story 3...how loserific am I? Jk, I thought it was totally cute! I had to take my lil bro to see it...

**Haha. It was interesting. Who knew teddy bears could be so evil? **

**I really hope my teddy bear isn't evil...**

**GOOD GOD IT'S COMING AFTER ME WITH A KNIFE!**

**!**

**!**

!

!

!

!

**You believed me, didn't you? That I got murdered by an evil teddy bear? That would be NO fun...then this story would just collect dust! :(**

**So, anyway, review? Fav? Whatnot? **

**Q of the Day: **

**Will you bug AlyssaBelikov to update her story Constellations?  
**


	10. Chapter 10 official

**Hello again! :D **

**I really can't thank you guys enough for all of the reviews and support I've been getting! It's so cool of y'all!**

**I LOVES U! **

**Lol. Um. Yeah. **

**Haha, one anonymous reviewer, IZZI, is like, totally awesome and gives me these big huge reviews that are totally awesome! So thank you, IZZI! I really appreciate it! **

**And another review, dreamlesssleeper-8 actually guessed what was going to happen...DARN YOU! **

**Jk, jk. :D We all have our moments of brilliance! **

**So, yeah. **

**And those of you that read St. Anna's Academy: IT IS ON HIATUS. So I'll continue it at some point...**

**Lol. **

**Oh, and I've been getting this question A LOT: **

**Why is Rose 15 and Dimitri 22? Can't you lower the age gap? **

**Well, Lissa and Rose ran away two years before the start of VA, making them 15 when they ran away. I'm sticking to that, and the fact that Dimitri is 7 years older than Rose. I'm basically lowering their age by two years, but it just seems wayy more drastic for Rose. **

**No, worries, though. They'll be back to their normal ages in no time. ;)  
**

**So, enjoy the chapter and...no. I'm not going to tell you what I was about to tell you. MUAHA. READ IT YOSELF!**

**See, I went all ghetto on you...**

**BE AFRAID!**

**AND REVIEW!  


* * *

**

Ten.

The next morning, I woke up confused, like that disoriented "Where the Hell am I?" kind of thing. It's not pleasant, let me tell you. After a second, I got my bearings and saw Dimitri.

"Forgot I was in Russia..." I muttered to myself. Pfft. I was such an idiot.

"Hm?" Dimitri asked.

"Oh. Sorry," I said. "Did I wake you up?"

He chuckled. "No, Roza. I've been awake for a while."

"Oh." I said. "Well, in that case, can we go get some food?" My stomach growled to back me up.

"Sure." Dimitri said. "Galina went to town, though, so we may have to scrounge." He said, standing up and stretching.

One of the simply amazing things about Dimitri was that he normally slept with no shirt on. Which was pretty damn amazing, if you disagree.

So, here I was, being treated to a little display of muscles and sexiness. Dimitri chuckled at my errant thoughts, and slipped a shirt on. "Damn you," I said, standing up.

"Oh, Rose." He said, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me.

"That almost makes up for your sarcastic 'Oh, Rose,'" I murmured against his lips. He laughed, kissing me again. We walked down the rickety wooden staircase to the tiny kitchen. I immediately flung open various cupboards, and, to my dismay, found nothing but something that vaguely resembled pudding. And some Russian vodka. But, you know. I wasn't going to tell _Dimitri _that.

"I found pudding!" I announced, holding it up in the air. Dimitri raised an eyebrow, walking over to me and taking the package from my hands.

"Is this edible?" he murmured to himself. He opened it a tiny bit, sniffing it. "I think it's banana," he finally said.

"_Think?_" I asked. "I'm not so sure I want to eat that," I said, backing away from the pudding. "Unless you test it first to make sure I won't die!" I said.

Dimitri laughed, looking skeptically at the pudding. "Pudding." He said.

"That is such a weird word!" I exclaimed, giggling. "_Pudding." _Dimitri even laughed. "Okay, okay." I said, taking a few deep breaths. "I dare you to lick The Pudding of Doom." I said, laughing again.

Dimitri smiled. "Fine. But you have to, too." The smiled turned evil as he scooped some vaguely yellow-colored slime onto his finger. He tentatively stuck it into his mouth and swallowed it quickly.

"What did it taste like?" I demanded.

"Bananas." Dimitri said, making a face.

"What do you have against bananas?" I demanded.

"I don't like them," he said simply, holding out the pudding to me.

I took it, sticking my finger in. Ugh. It was slimy...What I like to think was blindingly fast, I shoved the pudding into my mouth and swallowed it. "Ew." I said. "That did _not _taste like bananas," I said. "More like bananas and...hatred." I deduced.

"I'm not sure hatred has a flavor," Dimitri said.

"It does now!" I declared. "And I am still hungry."

He sighed. "Maybe she has a garden or something," he said, taking my hand and towing me out the door. We walked the perimeter of the house until we found a small garden.

"Carrot!" I exclaimed, jumping at the leafy green frond and attempting to yank it out of the ground. Dimitri bent down, attempting to help me wrestle the damn thing out of the ground. He finally produced a pointy orange thing.

"That," I said. "Is not a carrot."

"Yes it is." Dimitri said in a no-duh sort of way.

"No." I said. "Carrots are small and round. Not pointy." I said.

"Those are _baby _carrots, Rose. They're made in a factory."

"Oh." I said, looking around. "Do apples grow in the ground?" I asked.

Dimitri looked like he wanted nothing more than to slap his hand on his forehead. "No, Rose." He laughed.

"Sorry, okay? I'm inexperienced at this whole farmer thing!" I said, crossing my arms.

He hugged me. "I know, Roza. Let's go inside, okay? We can eat the carrot." He suggested.

"It looks kind of like..." I got a disapproving glance from Dimitri. "Never mind."

We sat down at the two-chair table, putting the carrot in between us.

"Can you, like, karate-chop it in half?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't think that would work." He smiled, though.

"Hm." I said. Then, "I know!" I ran up the stairs, digging in Dimitri's duster until I found his stake. "Ah hah," I said, walking more carefully back down the stairs.

Dimitri looked at me with an expression of confusion as I staked the carrot more or less in half. "Ha." I said. "I killed it," I added.

"Good job, Rose," he said, smiling.

"You can have the part with the leaves," I said, rolling it toward him. "And this is supposed to last us until Galina gets back..." I muttered. "So not cool. When is she getting back?" I asked.

Dimitri shrugged. "I don't know. It's six-thirty, though, so probably within the hour."

"Yes," I said. "Real food!" I chunked the half-eaten carrot remains in a trashcan and plopped on the edge of the couch, reaching for a remote.

"Wait." I said. "There's no TV." I pouted, sitting back into the couch.

Dimitri laughed. "Even if there was, it'd be in Russian." He reminded me.

"Oh." I said. "Right." He sat down next to me, pulling me closer to him. "You know," I said. "There are other ways to entertain ourselves..." I trailed off, kissing his jaw. I tangled my fingers in his hair, and he pulled me up so I straddled his lap. His hands trailed down my back, pushing me closer to him, and I moved my lips to his, tracing his lips with my tongue.

He pulled back, eyes closed. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Just a little nauseous..." he trailed off. "Weird. It just came over me-"

_Bang. _

"What was that?" I whispered. Dimitri put a finger to his lips and reached back to the table to pick up his stake.

"Go upstairs," he whispered.

"What the Hell is wrong?" I demanded.

"Strigoi." Was all he said. I walked up the stairs to our room, shaking with fear.

What if I died?

What if _Dimitri _died?

I looked out the window at the dark landscape. I saw one, two, three, four...five figures I assumed had to be Strigoi.

"Shit." I said, turning off all of the lights and picking up the reloaded gun from Dimitri's duster. There was another bang, and a few grunts and then a thud. Then more than one pair of feet rushed into the house.

And one came up the stairs.

I aimed the gun at the door, wanting so badly to close my eyes but too afraid to. The door handle turned, and a pale, red-eyed woman walked into the room.

Galina.

"Rosemarie," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "So good to see you." I pointed the gun at her, firing twice. She hissed at the pain, but otherwise wasn't hurt.

"Stay back," I said.

"Now, now." She said. "Don't be troublesome." She smiled sadistically, knocking the gun out of my hand and covering my mouth with her hand. "The last Ivashkov," she murmured. "I sure got lucky, didn't I?"

She held me by my hair, pushing me down the stairs in front of her.

Then I saw what had to be the most badass thing...ever.

Dimitri fighting four Strigoi at once, one already dead on the ground with a hole in his chest. The way Dimitri moved was graceful and deadly at the same time, and his face just screamed _lethal. _I had seen him frustrated, happy, sad, angsty, expressionless, and in love - but this? This was a whole new Dimitri. And it just made me love him more.

Galina kept a hold on me, waiting for Dimitri to falter, I imagined. He didn't, though. He wouldn't. He ducked another female's kick, tripping the guy on his left and scratching his cheek with the stake. The Strigoi hissed in pain, and Dimitri drove the stake into his heart, immediately turning around to the threat behind him. Galina was glaring furiously at her failed Strigoi attack.

I seriously hated this bitch.

So, I did what any normal person would do; I set her hair on fire.

Now, it wasn't any type of fire-specializing move, it was just kind of a I-have-a-pretty-good-control-over-that-element-so-ha-bitch-I-lit-your-hair-on-fire type of thing.

"Ah!" She said, letting go of me and putting her hands to her head. Mistake. Her hands started to burn, too.

"Burn, baby, burn." I smiled. Then, feeling empowered, I balled my fist and socked her in the face.

And she fell down, too.

I looked back to Dimitri. Only one Strigoi left, to my pleasure. He looked old, though. Experience. He and Dimitri sort of circled each other, matching the other's moves and feinting their own. It was like some weird, violent dance. Dimitri would occasionally glance over at me, but, other than that, he was dead on focused. Dimitri jumped at the Strigoi, and they grappled for a moment before the Strigoi had his fangs _way _too close to Dimitri's neck.

"Oh, no fucking way." I said, glaring and body-slamming the Strigoi as hard as I possibly could.

So now his fangs were near _my _neck. Yay.

Galina had doused her hair, but she was mostly bald now. She glared at me before going after Dimitri.

"So _you're _the last Ivashkov," the Strigoi said.

I glared at him. "Who are you and what the Hell do you want?" I demanded.

He chuckled. "I am Isaiah, child. You will do as I say, or you die. What I want is your blood and terror for Moroi civilization." He smiled evilly. So this guy liked speeches. "Now," he said. "Come quietly and I don't kill you."

"No." Dimitri said from behind him. "Make one more move and _I _kill _you." _

Isaiah turned to the new threat. Galina, I noticed, was gone. She had probably escaped while she still could. Isaiah laughed and bolted out the door before Dimitri could do anything.

He turned to me. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I said. "Just. I don't know. Scared. Freaked out," I said, sitting down on the destroyed couch.

Dimitri sat next to me. "I know, my Roza. I'm sorry." He sighed. "We need to leave."

"But...it's dark," I said.

"I know. The drive to Baia is half an hour, and it's better we relocate than risk staying here for the rest of the night." He said, glaring at the floor.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. Come on, let's get our bags." He said, wrapping his arm around me and towing me up the stairs. He stuck the gun in his waistband, and slid on his duster and backpack. He handed me mine and we walked down to the car.

Which was destroyed.

"Those fucking _bitches!" _I said, looking at the remains of my Lamborghini.

"We couldn't've driven that, anyway. Too conspicuous," he walked to a small wooden shed that I assumed was a garage, and quickly ran back inside to get something. He returned with car keys and started an old Honda, opening the door for me and speeding down the dirt road.

We drove in silence, Dimitri occasionally glancing at me. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. I placed my hand on his arm, looking up at him with eyes that held all of my love and faith in him. His mouth formed a hard line, and he looked down. Looked like he thought he'd failed me.

"You haven't failed me, Dimitri." I said.

"Yes, I have. I shouldn't have let that happen...we should have left sooner. I don't know. You were in danger, and it's my fault." He said. I didn't reply, because I knew it didn't matter what I said. At least not at the moment.

All I could hope for was that the blur I had seen out of the corner of my eye was _not _a Strigoi.

* * *

**Aw. Lover fight. **

**:P**

**So, yesh, Galina is a Strigoi now. And some of you may take that as foreshadowing, like I'm going to turn this into some sort of BP, but I'm totally NOT telling you! **

**So. Ha. **

**Hehe. **

**Review? **

**And, yeah, the first part of the chapter was like completely random and freaking focused on PUDDING and CARROTS...but I thought y'all deserved a laugh or what not. **

**hehehe. **

**So, review! And let me know if you think our fav couple should patch things up and make out some more!**

**Oh, and I just realized I haven't gotten a flame yet! How cool is that! :D :D :D **

**And I have my first international reviewer! Feeh! So, thank you! Eu emitir ihe ia uma reposta mas voce reviu anonima! Agradece assim de qualquer maneira! Esperanca voce gosta de historia e mantem se rever! (That's portuguese, btw, people. And it's really formal, yes, because I learned it from a total prick teacher! Lol)**

**So, I hope that made sense...**

**And okay! Ya! I hope you guys loooved the chap, so REVIEW, fav, whatever!  
CLICK THAT BUTTON! DO IT! **

**Kk bye! **

**REVIEW  
**


	11. DON'T BOTHER READING

**_Hey, guys. I just want to start by saying, I HATE AN'S, TOO! _**

**_But, being the complete idiot I am, I freaking deleted Chapter Eleven. _**

**_Ugh. _**

**_So I needed a filler so y'all can review Twelve. _**

**_And if anyone per chance has a copy of it or ANYTHING, please send it to me! I deleted the document, too. Ugh. _**

**_So, sorry! _**

**_:( :( :( _**


	12. Chapter 11 official

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry for my infrequent/nonexistant updates...But I finally rewrote this damn chapter. Ugh. **

**WHAT A BITCH TO REWRITE**

**Soo**

**anyway**

**here you are**

**(and sorry again those of you that were all ?)**

**

* * *

**DIMITRI WAS SILENT ON THE drive to Baia. His jaw was clenched in that angry way of his, and his hands gripped the steering wheel a little harder than necessary.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he finally said. I sighed, resting my chin on my hand and staring out the window.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm okay, you're okay, and we're almost to Baia." I said softly, not really wanting to make him angry. He tended to get pissed off whenever he got it into his head that he'd "failed me." Stupid Russian bastard.

"Yes," he said tersely. What a lie. We spent the rest of the ride in silence - me falling asleep pressed up against the window and Dimitri glaring across the countryside. After maybe another two hours, the car slowed down.

"We're here." He said. I perked up immediately, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"So I'll finally get to meet your family?" I said excitedly, climbing out of the car and grabbing my backpack. Dimitri nodded, taking the bag along with his own and walking up the worn path to a nice-looking cottage type thing. It was set sort of away from the village, but it seemed nice all the same. Dimitri knocked on the door. A few seconds later, someone who looked pretty much like a shorter, female version of Dimitri opened the door.

"Dimka?" she said tightly, her eyes widened and almost...frightened? I don't know. Weird. Maybe that was normal for Siberians.

"Privet(_means "hi"_), Viktoria," he said as warmly as he could manage given the situation, hugging her as she stepped outside a little bit.

"Hi," I said, stepping up to the porch and sticking out my hand. "I'm Rose, Dimitri's Moroi." I said awkwardly, looking at Dimitri for confirmation that she even spoke English.

She smiled weirdly again, shaking my hand. "Hello, Rose. I'm Viktoria Belikova, Dimka's younger sister."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Can we come in, Vik?" Dimitri asked after a moment.

She nodded, her face falling again. "Please." She said, opening the door to a warmly lit room...

...filled with Strigoi.

"_Seriously?" _I snapped in outrage. This was just fucking stupid. Why the hell wouldn't they leave us alone? I glared at Galina and Isaiah, my eyes filling with tears when I saw Dimitri's family tied to chairs or held captive in some other fashion. A really old, really pissed off lady who I assumed to be his grandmother was tied back-to-back in chairs with a defeated looking dhampir woman. Probably his mother. His older sisters were tied up the same way, and Galina immediately tied Viktoria back up when she stepped inside. Isaiah was holding a sleeping kid - probably his nephew, Paul or something.

I really, really wanted to kill something right then.

"What the hell is this?" Dimitri snapped emotionlessly, his guardian mask on but tinged with rage.

Galina smirked, stepping away from the newly tied-up Viktoria. "This, Belikov, is what is called fair trade. A deal. Equivalent exchange. Call it what you want, it's us trading the lives of your family members for that Ivashkov standing before us." She said, smirking in that triumphant way of hers.

Dimitri's mask shattered, his true feelings showing through. Shocked, really pissed off, and scared half to death. "Wh-what?" he said, for once totally at a loss for words.

"The entire Belikov line in exchange for her." Isaiah said snidely. "You see, Belikov, a bunch of dhampirs mean next to nothing to us - they don't even taste very good. One Ivashkov? The _last _Ivashkov? Do you have any idea what our ranking would be? We'd be feared throughout all Strigoi, our names in your history books. And why? For stamping out a line. Causing mass chaos - finally making you idiots believe that we are a _very _real threat, and any one of them could be dead like _that." _He said, keeping a smile on his face the entire time.

"I'm not letting you take her." Dimitri snapped.

Galina smirked again. "Okay. Then I guess we'll start with...what was his name, Paul? I know! Let's turn him, Isaiah. It's more fun that way - I've never seen such a little one..." she said, moving her fangs to the sleeping boy's neck.

"No!" I cried, lurching forward only to be caught and restrained by Dimitri. "No, please! Please don't. He's a baby. You can have me, you can have me," I said brokenly, kind of on repeat. "Please. Don't hurt them."

"_No, _Rose. No, no, no way in _hell _am I letting you - " his grandmother cut him off.

"_Nyet_, Dimka. _Roza ne oshibaet. Vse povernut vne nailuchshsim obrazhom pod konech." _She spoke strongly, like she was sure in whatever the hell she was saying.

Galina smirked again, turning back to Dimitri. "Listen to your grandmother, Dimitri." She said, chuckling.

"You're wrong, all of you. No way am I letting you take her." He snapped.

I couldn't let him let his family _die, _could I? Hell no! That was wrong, sick, twisted, whatever you want to call it. I wasn't gonna let it happen. "I'm sorry," I whispered before slamming my heel into Dimitri's foot and breaking free of his grasp, running to the middle of the room.

"_No-!" _Dimitri roared in shock, clawing at the space I had been about two seconds ago.

"Promise you'll let them go," I said breathlessly. "I'll go with you. Just let his family go."

Isaiah smiled like a fucking creep. "You have my word, princess." He said, slinging me over his shoulder and bolting like hell out the door. Heavy footsteps followed him - probably Dimitri - and Galina sprinted alongside him.

"_Rose!" _Dimitri roared into the night, "_I won't lose you! I'll get you back, I swear!" _he cried before his voice faded entirely. Galina and Isaiah were simply...too fast for him. Too fast for Dimitri. That concept felt off to me. I perceived Dimitri almost as a god - like he could do absolutely anything. And while, yes, he could fight off an army of Strigoi, he couldn't keep up with two of them when they had a head start to begin with.

You know what? Maybe I could save myself, for once.

"Fuck you." I spat at Galina, scrounging up all the fire magic I could muster and setting her hair on fire. She screamed, falling to the ground and batting at her head and cursing in Russian.

"Get up." Isaiah said coldly, stopping for a moment to make sure she wasn't dead. Once the flames were mostly gone - and she had a very noticeable bald spot - he took off again. And after about half an hour of running and my protesting, we came upon a way too cliche-creepy warehouse type thing. "If I were you," Isaiah said quietly, "I'd cooperate." He snapped before throwing open the door to a nice, well-decorated room. Isaiah set me down, roughly grabbing my arm. Galina sat down in a plush chair, and a little human girl in a maid outfit hurried up to cater on her.

Wait. _Human? _

Humans...why would a Strigoi keep one? Like a pet? That completely baffled me. If dhampirs and even Moroi were so far beneath them, then why...?

"She wants immortality." Isaiah said, noticing my staring. "It's tempting to mortals," he continued in that regal way of his. "We could give you immortality, too, you know. It's not as bad as your Moroi make it seem..." he said, baring his fangs in a creepy smile. "Let's go." He said, tugging me toward another door and a flight of stairs. He towed me down them, into a brightly-lit basement filled with Moroi and dhampirs about my age. I contained my shocked reaction as Isaiah set me down in a sturdy metal chair, binding my hands with flexi-cuffs and leaving abruptly with a terse "goodbye."

The boy next to me laughed. "Hi, newbie." He said, flashing a gorgeous smile. Even in this shit lighting, he was gorgeous. Tousled chocolate brown hair, emerald eyes, and he looked pretty built for a Moroi guy.

"Uh, hi," I said dejectedly, kicking at the chair.

"I'm Adrian. You are?" he said conversationally.

"Rose. Hathaway," I added at the last minute.

He raised an eyebrow. Wait, could fucking _everyone _do that except me? "Hathaway? Where did _that _come from?"

I whipped around to look at him in a shut-up-you-bitch sort of way. "You tell me, then, if you're such an expert on me." I snapped.

He laughed, a nice golden sound. Ugh. He was probably a preppy boy back home. "I'm no expert, Rose. I just recognize my own cousin." He said, grinning like an idiot.

"Excuse me?"

"I never told you my full name. Hi, Rosemarie. I'm Adrian Ivashkov."

* * *

**Meh**


	13. Chapter 12 official

**HEY GUYS! **

**THE STUPID HEAD UPDATER HAS RETUUUUURNED!  
**

**Haha, seriously. I just had maaaaaajor writers block! **

**Hehe. **

**So, yesh. I totally know you missed my annoying drabble at the top and bottom of the screen? **

**Or maybe you just LOL'd? **

**HAHA TWILIGHT LOLCATS ARE SOOOOOOO FUNNY! **

**And you know what else is cool**

**Nike shorts**

**:O **

**I am addicted to them, it's true. XD**

**Whatcha gonna do? **

**OHHHH!**

**Oh so I went to the airport today and this totally EVIL deutsch man that worked there declined my flight! I was like WTF?1**

**Hehe. **

**So, here I sit, typing...**

**AND HERE IS YOUR CHAPTER, CHICKENS!**

**THE LOOOOOONG AWAITED...  
**

**CHAPTAH TWELVE!**

**WOOOOOOO!  
(**Fluffernuffer**)**

**

* * *

**Twelve.

"Ivashkov." I repeated. "Adrian _Ivashkov." _

Adrian chuckled. "That sounds about right, cousin."

"You can't be an Ivashkov. They would've found you by now." I said, totally in denial. No way. Oh, look at me, I'm in denial about being in denial. Yay. I'm totally sane. Totally.

"Or," he said, interrupting my mental argument, "I'm just _exceptionally _good at hiding."

"Whatever." I said. "You have no proof. So I don't believe you."

"Stubborn, are we?" he chuckled in that annoying way of his again.

"No." I said defensively. "You don't even _look _like me," I said. It was true, too. I had dark brown, almost black hair, and eyes that were a few shades lighter. Adrian, with his emerald green eyes and profoundly lighter brown hair, couldn't be more different. No family resemblance whatsoever.

"Or," he said again. "Maybe _you _just don't look like other Ivashkovs."

"No way." I said. "My parents -" _had green eyes, _I finished silently. "Well, damn," I muttered. "Still. Lots of royals have green eyes."

"Fine, don't believe me," he tilted his head back, closing his eyes and becoming as much the picture of ease as a guy tied up and handcuffed to an uncomfortable chair could be. Which was saying something. My back was _killing _me. "Your loss,"

"Only people that lose say that." I snapped.

He chuckled. "Normally, I would agree. But I would've thought you'd be happy to find out you have a cousin - especially because I'm...well, _me," _he smirked.

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Oh, you know. I'm incredibly sexy, witty, great to hang out with...Need I go on?"

"Self-centered much?" I scoffed. "Maybe we are related," I mumbled under my breath.

"Anyway," Adrian said, "you might want to get some sleep."

"Why?" I asked, tilting my head ever so slightly to the right.

"Isaiah normally keeps us up, to weaken us or whatever. So sleep while you can." He leaned back again closing his eyes. I did the same, and, to my surprise, found myself drifting into the blissful land of sleepy-bye within minutes.

Or...so I thought.

_"Adrian?" _I snapped to the tall figure standing before me. "But you...and me...where...what?" I spluttered.

He chuckled. "Hi, there." I looked down - I was dressed in a navy tank top and white shorts.

"Blue," I spat in disgust.

"Hmm," Adrian said. "You're right. Blue really isn't your color," and, as he said it, the shirt slowly turned a deep crimson that happened to compliment my skin perfectly.

"So you have a fashion sense," I said. "What, are you gay or something?" *

He chuckled that stupid chuckle of his. "No, silly Rose. I was merely making an observation,"

"Where the Hell am I?" I demanded, glaring up at him. Oh, the woes of being five-six.

"In a dream." He smiled.

"No duh, idiot. I meant...wait, why are _you _in my dream? I don't remember having a _nightmare,_"

"Ouch," he said, smirking again.

"Let me go back to sleep!" I said, looking around for, I don't know, an EXIT sign or something.

"You are asleep, silly Rose," he said.

"Whatever. Let me go back to whatever normal, non-Adrian dream I was having," I glared for emphasis. Oh, how I wished I was a dhampir. Then, _then _I could kick his ass.

Well, I could always have Dimitri do that for me...

"What's the magic word?" Adrian taunted in a sing - songy voice.

"Please." I spat.

He shook his head, laughing. "Sit down for a minute."

I sat. "What do you want? Besides the fact that you so obviously are determined to annoy me to death?"

"You probably think this dream is conjured by _you, _right? Your brain and stuff?"

"Seeing as it's _my _dream, yeah." I said, growing wary.

"Well, it isn't." He said somewhat ominously.

"So, what, you control dreams?" I rolled my eyes. "Dream stalker," I muttered.

He laughed. "Is it really insane? Not as far out as bringing people back from the dead, obviously," he said. Dimitri's face immediately flashed in my mind. Dimitri...no, he hadn't been dead. Right? Surely not. Those kinds of things didn't happen, no matter who you are._ Then why can he hear your thoughts? _A sort of logical part of me asked. Why _could _he hear my thoughts, my emotions?

What was _wrong _with me?

Crazy. I am now, officially, crazy.

Just like Mrs. Karp...

"Holy shit," I breathed. "What do you know, exactly?" I asked, a bit nicer now.

"Well," he said. "I have a few theories." He smiled. "One, I haven't specialized, you haven't specialized. Right?" I nodded. "Well, it'd obviously be a bit stranger for me because I'm eighteen. You're...what, sixteen? Fifteen?" I nodded. "That's when Moroi start specializing. But..." he said ominously. Him and his drama. "What if we already specialized?"

"That's crazy. Water can't bring back the dead, air can't hear thoughts, fire can't control dreams, and earth can't heal people!" I said.

"So what if it's another element? An almost unheard of element?" he raised his eyebrow.

"Damn you," I said, pissed that _everyone _could do that except me. Dammit. "Anyway, what other element is there?"

"That's where I'm stuck," he admitted. "What else can you do, besides healing people?" he asked.

"Well...I don't know, actually," I said, looking down.

"Can you see peoples'...auras?" he asked after a moment of searching for the right word.

"Aura? Like their emotions? No. Definitely not," I said.

"And you can't dream-walk," he mused.

"More like dream-stalk," I muttered.

He chuckled. So. Damn. Annoying. "But you can heal. And you've got a Hell of a lot of compulsion, right?"

"Yes." I nodded. It was one of those bittersweet kind of things. On the upside, it had gotten me out of a Hell of a lot of trouble. It had helped us escape. On the downside, it was considered wrong. Like, wrong wrong. You weren't supposed to do it. Ever. Oops.

"So we're sort of similar," he said. "Well, I think I'll let you go now. Isaiah's coming."

"How do you know?" I demanded, standing up.

"Because I'm awake." He said, looking at me confusedly.

_Awake. _I played with the entire concept in my mind for a minute. Dream-stalking...if I could learn how to do it, if Adrian's theory or whatever was right, then I could see Dimitri. I could see Dimitri, and explain, and just hope he still loved me. Because, honestly? If he didn't, I wasn't sure what the Hell I'd do without him. Maybe I'd get lucky and Isaiah or Galina would kill me now, here, before I got a chance to suffer any longer.

But _God. _I missed Dimitri. He was my rock, someone I could always, always count on. He'd do - or used to - anything for me, and I felt the same. How often was it you come across something like that?

And now it was gone.

_My fault. _

"Damn you, Rose," I said to myself. "You screw everything up."

"Not true," Adrian said, smiling. "Everybody messes up _sometimes," _

"Okay." I said. "You're getting dangerously close to sounding like a Disney movie or some inspirational poster." I said.

"It's a good thing, Rose. It's a good thing."

"Keep telling yourself that, Adrian," I said, rolling my eyes as the bright colors faded around me and I woke up to a very pissed off Isaiah and Galina. "Yay," I muttered to myself, looking down.

"Hello again, children," Isaiah said. So maybe he wasn't pissed off. Like maybe it was just the permanent look he had on his face. How _lovely._ "We've devised a new feeding schedule," he said. The Moroi in the room groaned. "You won't be able to feed - _at all - _until one of you decides to make the decision to become Strigoi. Then, you may feed from the dhampir here." He smiled cruely as our eyes widened. The dhampir actually looked up, glaring at Isaiah. "Just let one of the guards know and he'll make sure you get what you need." Galina glared at me as the walked off.

"Well, shit." Adrian said.

"What?" I asked. "They were feeding you before?"

"Barely," he said. "We got to feed off a human, all of us, once every three days." He sighed. "Wasn't too fun. But whatever, you know? It was better than this. No way I'm turning Strigoi," he said, shaking his head. "No damn way."

"Me either." I said. And I meant it - but I wasn't really thinking about the effects on _me. _I was thinking, as always about Dimitri. He'd get a call, maybe he'd find out I was Strigoi - then what, right? He'd hunt me? Track me down, here in Russia, and kill me? Now, yeah, I'd want him to kill me. I wouldn't want to kill other, innocent people. But would I if I became Strigoi?  
And Dimitri would be so simply devastated. I would be, too, were he Strigoi. I'd track him down to the best of my ability.

So I'd obviously fail pretty bad at that.

"Don't worry about it, Rose," Adrian said to me. "Just _don't bite the dhampir."_

"No worries about that," I said. Then, "can you...can you teach me how to dream-stalk?" I asked.

"Why?" he wondered.

"Because I need to see Dimitri."

"The Russian lover, huh?" he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Whatever, Adrian. Just...please?"

"Alright." He said, sighing. "I'll try, at least. It's one of things you just...know, you know?"

"Not really," I said. "But thanks, anyway," I said.

"Let's start in the morning - or night - or whenever I wake up, 'kay?" he said, settling into his seat once more.

"'Kay." I said, watching my last way to talk to Dimitri drift off to sleep. "Adrian?" I asked.

"Mm?" he replied, keeping his eyes shut.

"You can't dream stalk me if _you're _asleep, right?"

He laughed. "Right, Rose."

"Good." And I settled back into blissful oblivion.

* * *

**Hey hey heyyy**

**So y'all are probably wondering why I made Rose such a bitch to Adrian - it's because I'm trying to incorporate as much of real VA as I can into this. And she, er, more or less despises Adrian when she first meets him. So, here you are. **

**Also, IT IS ESSENTIAL YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!**

**What is a good nickname for Rose? Obviously little dhampir's out, soo...ideas?**

Also, should Rose learn to dream stalk or not? /:|

**Haha, ANNNYYYWAAYY**

**AlyssaBelikov, shoutout to you, darling girlie: **

**UPDATE CONSTELLATIONS OR I WILL PERSONALLY SIC A PACK OF GUARDIANS ON YOU! AND IT WILL NOT INCLUDE DIMITRI! JUST STAN AND SOME OTHER BORING DUDES!  
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  
**

**Hehe. I'm evil? **

**Yes. **

**MUAHA!**

**Ohhhmy god**

**So at my favorite Italian restuarant...*sniffs* THEY STOPPED SELLING CANOLI! WTF IS WRONG WITH THEM, RIGHT? It's my dad's restaurant, too, so now I call him the Killer of Canolis. It's true, you know. HE ENDED THEIR SWEET, SWEET LIVES!  
DARN THEM ALL!**

***cries in a corner about canoli***

**ANYWAYZ**

**Q of the Day: **

**Who do you think killed Tatiana?**

**REVIEW**

**OR I SIC STAN ON YOU :D  
**


	14. Chapter 13 official

**HI AGAIN!  
**

**Look, I've updated again! Teehee. **

**Sooo, chapter Eleven will be reposted soon, I swear! And I'm adding another before that, btw. So chapter eleven will basically be chapter twelve. Er, you'll get it. **

**So, thank you guys for your great suggestions on Rose's nickname! I went with "little cousin," so thank you whoever wrote that! I think it was Hilary something, I forget...:P Sorry!**

**Lol, sooo**

**Ohhkay so yeah! I got nothing except toast, so enjoy the chapter! Once again, thank you for all the reviews and fav's! :) :) :) **

**LOVE YALL! **

**Adios for now!  
CHAPTAH THIRTEEN!**

**

* * *

**

Thirteen.

The days ticked monotonously by, each second dragging with exaggerated slowness. I seriously doubted there was any torture worse than:

A. Being away from Dimitri for this much time. And, you know, wondering if he hated me.

Two. Being starved – or whatever – from blood. That was no bucket of fun, let me tell you.

D: I was stuck here with _Adrian. _That boy was _annoying. _Ridiculously so. I was surprised Isaiah hadn't been killed from freaking annoyance.

But, all the same, I was glad to have him here. The other Moroi hadn't really spoken to me, save a few words from Abby Badica yesterday. I didn't mind so much, though. I wasn't really feeling like a "people person" lately.

"Adrian," I hissed in the darkness.

"What?" he whispered back. Huh. I was surprised he was awake.

"It's been more than a day, hombre." I said, throwing in some Mexican gangsta-ness to sound more intimidating. "Teach me how to dream walk."

"Oh, so you've finally given up on your ridiculous nickname for it, little cousin?" I could just _hear _that damn smirk on his face.

"'Little cousin?'" I repeated, looking cynically in his general direction.

"Yep. Do you want to learn or not?"

"Fine." I said.

"Okay." He said. "Lesson one; _relax." _

"I do relax, Adrian!" I said, rather loudly. We got few shushes from the others. So much for relaxing.

"That," he said, "is a sign of deep inner stress, or turmoil." Oh, he was going all Zen on me now? Nuh uh. That was Dimitri's job.

"Yeah, like you'd know, right?" I rolled my eyes. "Adrian, you're insane."

"Thank you." He said. "Anyway, I was kidding, in case you didn't pick up on that,"

"I think I got it," I said sarcastically.

"Good." He said, chuckling. "Moving on, there's really not that much to it. Basically," he said, thinking for a minute, "I just...sort of reach my mind out to whoever I want to talk to. They have to be asleep, though, so don't get discouraged if you don't see them."

"What happens if they aren't asleep?" I asked.

"Pretty much nothing. It's rather uninteresting."

"Oh." I said. "And if they are asleep?" I pressed.

"You sort of form the dream with your mind. You think of a place, or make one up, and you're there. You saw what I did with your shirt, too, right?"

"Nah," I said sarcastically. "I just figured I was bleeding to death or something." I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway," he said exasperatedly, "you choose the elements of the dream, right? And then you kind of wait a few seconds for the person to show up. From then on it's like talking like you and I are now,"

"Alright." I said. "So how do I 'reach out my mind?'" I asked skeptically.

"That's the part that's hard to explain. It's easier if you know the person well, or at least what they look like. Works best if you sort of know how their brain works," he said. "Me, though, I can do it pretty damn well." He sighed lovingly. "I guess I really am good at everything," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Bastard," I muttered. "You have serious narcissism issues."

"Not a bad thing, Rose. Not a bad thing."

"Says you," I said, leaning down in my seat. "Now, shut up so I can do this." I said.

"Don't be disappointed if you can't get it right away, Rose," Adrian said. "The k-"

"Shut up!" I whispered.

"Fine, fine," he mumbled. "Have fun, dream buddy."

"_Don't _call me that," I said disgustedly.

"As you wish, cousin." He smiled, most likely going back to sleep or something. Lazy ass.

_Reach out your mind, Rose! _I could just hear some Indian dude with a funny accent yelling that at me. _Reach out your mind! _

Random, much? Maybe I was going crazy.

"Ugh." I said, closing my eyes and trying my very best to reach out my mind. Nothing. "Dammit," I said.

"Rose." Someone hissed from the other side of the room. "Not that your rambling isn't amusing, but some of us need to sleep."

"Whatever," I said, closing my eyes again.

_Dimitri..._

It really wasn't too hard to focus on him, really. It was almost a relief to focus on him. I could see him in my head almost as clearly as if he were standing in front of me. That long, sexy duster, his typical jeans and a dark t-shirt. His hair, though, fell around his face, free from his ponytail. The way I liked it.

"Rose?" Imaginary Dimitri asked, confused.

"Hi, Dimitri," I said. Hopefully not out loud, but whatever. This was pleasant, here in my head. Maybe not as good as seeing the actual Dimitri, or even Dream Dimitri – but, hey, Imaginary Dimitri was pretty hot.

"What...how? Oh my God," he said, pulling me in his arms and in his chest. "Are you real?" he whispered into my hair.

"Well, duh." I said. "You're the imaginary one here, Dimitri," I said, like it was the most obvious thing -

Wait a minute.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "I did it!" I literally jumped up and down once or twice. "Haha!" I threw my arms around Dimitri's neck, kissing his cheek. He just kind of looked at me for a minute like I was crazy, but then pulled my lips to his.

"How?" he asked after a minute.

"Well, it's a majorly long story," I said, blushing.

"Tell me," he said, sitting down and pulling me after him. We were in a meadow, I saw. It was pretty, with lots of trees and tulips and irises and roses...yuck. I hated stuff that had to do with my namesake.

"You aren't mad at me?" I asked first.

"No, how could I be?" he asked brokenly. "It's my fault."

"Dimitri, no it's not," I said. "It totally isn't."

"I'm sorry, Roza. I followed them, Galina and the male, but..."

"Where are you now?" I asked.

He grimaced, looking down. "Somewhere in Western Europe. I haven't really been keeping track of the country. I'm trying to get back to the academy, get backup. I'm going to save you, Rose," he said.

"I believe you," I replied, staring at him with all my love. "But there are more. Moroi, I mean," I said. "And a dhampir." I grimaced, remembering Isaiah's cruel reminder.

"You're my main priority, Rose," he said. "But we'll get them out, too. I swear."

"I know." I said. "Just...hurry, okay? I haven't had blood in a while, and they said the only way anyone's getting any blood is if we drink from and kill the dhampir. And become Strigoi."

His face hardened. "No, Roza."

"Don't worry, Comrade," I teased. "No way in Hell is that happening." I smiled. "Anyway, do you still want to know about the dream thing?"

"Of course," he said, picking up my hand and placing it against his cheek, resting his larger hand on top of it.

"Well...it's kind of confusing. But, the first hour I got here, I met this guy -" the murderous look on Dimitri's face was quite hilarious. "Hold on, Dimitri. He's my _cousin." _

"What?" Dimitri asked, totally lost.

"He's...well, he said his name was Adrian Ivashkov."

"Ivashkov." Dimitri repeated.

"That's what I said!" I exclaimed. "But he seems an awful lot like me, and he had the same eyes as my parents, and, as he told me, every other Ivashkov _except_ me." I pouted.

"Your eyes are beautiful, Roza." He played with a strand of my hair. "So is your hair. _You're _beautiful,"

I blushed. "Anyway, it gets better. He can do...well, sort of...the same things I can. Like compulsion," I said. "He said he can compel people as well as I can. "And, when I fell asleep the first time, he dream stalked me."

_"Dream stalk?"_

"Yeah." I said. "What I'm doing now," I laughed. "Well, Adrian calls it dream _walking, _but...well, you know me and my sarcastic ways."

"I do," he said, smiling.

"And he said he had this theory. Like how I haven't specialized, right? Well, he hasn't either, and he's eighteen. Kind of weird.

"But then he suggested that we _both _had specialized – just a long time ago, sort of, in a different element. Like one no one's heard of," I said.

"That's an interesing theory," Dimitri mused.

"And I think it's true, too," I said. "Mrs. Karp, remember? How she healed me that one time?" Dimitri nodded. "She hadn't specialized, either."

"Maybe this Adrian is right," Dimitri murmured. "That's definitely something to think about. In the meantime, Roza, where are _you_?"

"Um, a few miles away from your family's house," I said. "I don't know which direction, just away from the town." I said.

"Alright." He sighed. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Roza." He kissed my lips again. "Don't turn Strigoi on me, okay?" he teased.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I joked. Then turning serious, I asked, "if I did, though...would you kill me? Would you be able to?"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Skill-wise, hypothetically, yes, I would be able to." He said, sighing. He looked at me. "In reality? I don't know. It wouldn't be you...I know that...but, at the same time, it would. And I..." he sighed again. "I'd like to think I'd be able to. Let's put it at that."

"Okay." I said. "I think I have to go, though. I'm sorry," I said.

"Will you stay a little longer?" he asked. Why not? Honestly, _where _would I have to go? I was currently tied up in a damn chair.

"Of course," I said, tucking my head into his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around me. "Why did you do it, Roza?" he asked after a few minute of peaceful silence.

"What?"

"Give yourself up for my family." He said.

"What would you have chosen, in all honesty, Dimitri? And tell the truth."

He looked down, a look of shame on his face. "You."

"No." I said. "You can't think like that, okay? You're my guardian, yeah, but I also _love you. _I can't live without you, Dimitri, and while you probably can't live without me – or so I assume – I'm still going to want you to be happy. You'd be heartbroken if Isaiah had killed your family, Dimitri. I'd be heartbroken, just watching you. If they changed your nephew? Paul? What is he, six? Could you live with yourself after that? Because I wouldn't be able to live with myself unless I gave it my best shot."

"I can't – won't – live without you," he whispered mournfully. "I just can't, Rose. I..."

I looked at him. "That's why I did it, Dimitri. Maybe you can't understand it, but I love you enough where I want to sacrifice my own well-being for your happiness."

"I don't need to be happy, Rose."

"Yes you do." I argued. "And you should've picked your family," I added.

He shook his head. "I would've picked you, Roza. Then try my damn hardest to get my family, too." He sighed. "And to think, after only a few weeks, we've come to this."

"Not a few weeks," I said. "It's always been there. Love. Or whatever." I laughed.

"It has," he agreed. "It has."

The dream faltered for a minute, and I was snapped back into reality, then the dream. "Whoa." I said. "I think I have to go, Dimitri. Someone's trying to wake me up," I said.

"Okay. Be careful," he looked so torn up about leaving me to my own devices. He leaned down and kissed me, and the dream dissolved into reality.

* * *

**Phew! That was long...haha, I wrote it on the plane and totally didn't know how long it was! YAY! I like it, though. I'm feeling good about these next chapters. EMPOWERED! **

**Lol, Dimitri is SO sweet! I love that man soooo much!**

**Ohh haha so my flight to Hayden today was right next to a flight to Missoula...I really considered it, you know? Maybe I would've run into Rose and Dimitri. And then I would have kidnapped Dimitri, and peppersprayed Rose. Muahaha. **

**So, yesh, I must go, so ENJOY!**


	15. Chapter 14 official

**WOOT! UPDATE **

**So so sorry for not updating sooner...my retarded internet decided to blow up. Literally, the little comcast-box-thing caught on fire. **

**No fun. **

**So, anyway, here we are! :) Chapter...fourteen? Yeah, fourteen. **

**And thank you guys so so much for your AMAZING reviews! :) You guys are, like, amazing. I have almost 300! I need 12 more! **

**I think we can manage that. **

**:) **

**So, anyway, I'll shut up now and let you read. **

**OH and go vote on my Poll of Legitness. **

**Hehe. Dimitri is winning, followed by Christian, then Adrian! SUCK IT, IVASHKOV!  
**

**Heh heh heh. **

**So, anyway...**

**OH **

**Wait no I forgot...**

**T_T**

**REVIEW! FAV! BUY A MONKEY! AS LONG AS YOU LIKE THE STORY! **

**Ohh, and I'm about to post a new story, called Never Knew. Check that out soon. **

**Here's the summary: **

_Rose Hathaway is a happy bride-to-be when she meets the mysterious Dimitri Belikov. Becoming fast friends, Dimitri is invited to Rose's wedding - to Adrian Ivashkov. When Rose gets cold feet and runs away, will Dimitri explain the truth? That Rose isn't...human? _

**Hehe. I would tell you more, but I'm too lazy. So go review it after you review this. **

**DO IT!**

**Okay, I won't threaten no longer! (That makes no sense...WHATEVAH!)**

**

* * *

**

Fourteen

We needed an escape plan, and we needed it fast. To my dismay, the only ideas I could manage to think of involved spontaneous terrorist attacks, all of the guards having uncontrollable bladder issues, or, of course, Dimitri and the Badass Guardian Dream Team (catchy, huh?) got here within...well, today.

None of that was happening, though. After almost a day, my situation hadn't really changed, save I was hungry. Ravenously so. It was hard on humans to go without food or water, a little bit easier on dhampirs, and terrible on Moroi. If we just had some _blood, _we could easily survive for a few weeks. If we had food and water and no blood, it would be uncomfortable - but preferable to this. Take away food, blood, and water? Our endurance dropped through the floor. I was sure the dhampirs - Denis and Tamara, who barely spoke English, I had learned - were hungry, but Adrian, Abby, and I were ravenous. Adrian's face was even paler than usual, and dark bruises hung under all of our eyes.

I tried to sleep as much as I could to escape the annoying, painfully hungry world that was currently my life. I simply didn't have the energy to dream-stalk Dimitri anymore - I barely had the energy to keep my eyes open. But I was sure he was keeping tabs on me, watching what I did whenever he could. Hopefully they would be here soon.

_But what if they aren't? _I asked myself. Every hour. If they weren't here extremely soon...things would get ugly. Which brings us back to my escape plan. Well, no. My plan to plan an escape plan.

Isaiah chose that moment to sweep on in. "Hello, children," he said. "How are we doing today?"

Sullen glares answered him.

He strolled around the room in that annoyingly nonchalant way of his, coming to a stop in front of me. Hands folded behind his back, he asked, "Any changes of heart since my last visit? You're taking an awfully long time, and it's upsetting Galina. She's very hungry, you see, but - I suspect - not as hungry as you three."

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him with all of the hatred and fury I could manage.

"Fuck off," Adrian said.

Abby looked down.

Isaiah focused on me again. "Honestly," he continued, watching me, "I can't decide if I want to kill you or have you join us. Each option has its own amusements and benefits,"

"Don't you get tired of hearing yourself talk?" I shot back.

"No, not really." He smirked, addressing all of us once again. "Don't delay, children. You have an opportunity to be saved - seize it while you can." He strolled up the stairs, Galina following behind him and still manage to glare at us.

I glared right back. Bitch.

I _really _needed a plan now. I needed to get us out of here. But, glancing around me, I found myself no closer to escape than we'd been earlier. No terrorists, no overreactive bladders, and definitely no Dimitri. Damn. I spent the next few hours speculating and brooding.

We had two guards today. While they looked slightly bored, they didn't look like they would slack off any time soon. Nearby, Adrian was glaring at nothing in particular, and I think Abby was sleeping. Denis was staring blankly at the floor. Painfully aware of how dry my throat was, I almost laughed in my unwavering desire to specialize in fire. Water magic would certainly have its uses...I would give anything to be able to summon up some -

Magic.

Why hadn't I thought of this before? We weren't helpless, not entirely.

A plan slowly formed in my half-delusional mind. A plan that was probably insane but the best option we had. My heart thudded with anticipation, and I immediately ordered my face into a look of misery - which wasn't difficult - before the guards noticed my sudden insight. I noticed Adrian watching me - he had seen my brief flare of excitement and probably realized I'd thought of something. He watched me curiously, surely as ready for action as I was.

God. How the hell could we pull this off? I was pretty weak - how could I be sure I could summon that much magic? I hadn't even specialized. This would be just _wonderful. _I met Adrian's gaze, willing him to understand that something was going to happen.

"Don't freak," I whispered, almost inaudibly. He nodded in understanding, slowly figuring out I had some sort of plan. I met Denis' gaze after a moment of trying to get his attention. I shifted slightly, giving a small tug at my wrists. Denis frowned, and I repeated the gesture.

"Are you guys really going to keep starving us?" I said loudly. Abby and Tamara jerked in surprise at my outburst. Technically, we weren't supposed to talk. "Can't we at least have some water or something?"

"Shut up," said one of the guards. Baldy, as I had affectionately referred to him over the past few days, particularly disliked me.

"Come on." I said, putting on my best bitchy voice. Which was pretty damn good. "Not even, like, a sip? My throat's _burning." _I tugged at my wrists again, glancing at Denis. "Practically on _fire._" I look of realization of what I was about to do dawned on Denis.

"Shut _up,_" Baldy said again.

I settled back into my chair, playing what I hoped was a look of fear across my face. "All right." I said. More gasps.

"How many times do I have to say it? Shut. Up." Baldy threatened again.

"No," I said. "I'm ready. Ready to drink."

Everyone in the room froze, and a look that was a mix of fear and half-understanding was on Denis' face. He sort of understood the gist of what I planned to do - he was a smart kid, luckily.

Baldy stood up. "Do _not _screw around with us."

"I'm not," I said. I put on a not-entirely-fake desperate look on my face. "I'm tired of this. I don't want to die. I'll drink - and I want _him." _I nodded toward Denis. Tamara gasped and mumbled a few things in Russian. Denis' look of fear increased but he managed to stay relatively calm and - hopefully - trustworthy.

The other guards looked at Baldy. "Should we get Isaiah?" asked one with a mustache, further referred to as "Moustachio."

"I don't think he's here," Baldy said. He studied me for a few seconds and then apparently decided. "And I don't really want to bother him anyway if this is some kind of joke. Let her go, and we'll see."

Moustachio produced a pair of sharp pliers. He moved behind me, and leaned down. There was the sharp sound of plastic popping as my flexi-cuffs broke. Grabbing my arm, the guard jerked me upright and led me over to Denis.

"Rose!" exclaimed Adrian. "Are you insane? Don't do this! Think about...think about Dimitri!" I winced at the sound of Dimitri's name, and at the pain in Adrian's voice.

So, naturally, I said: "You guys probably have to die, but I don't." I snapped. "There's no other way out of this." Denis' eyes widened, and two guards flanked me, watching what I was doing. Denis looked at me with pleading eyes, and I could just barely tell he was acting.

_Yes. _It was _working. _

"Don't do this, Rose," Adrian said again, emotion causing his voice to crack. "Rose!"

One of the guards shoved me. "Get it over with, or get back to your chair."

I shrugged. "Sorry, Denis." I nuzzled his neck, moving my shoulders so that they obscured my mouth. My lips touched his skin, and I let the tip of my fangs brush his skin. Denis shuddered in response, and he, accordingly, went "blissfully slack." I wasn't taking any blood, of course; no, I just whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear:

"I burn, you attack."

I focused all of my willpower and meager fire accommodations at the flexi-cuffs on his wrists. Casting my eyes down, I happily saw that they were glowing a dull orange. It looked painful, but I was ecstatic it was working. I barely pressed my fangs against Denis' skin, and I felt horribly guilty when he squirmed in pain.

I knew plastic was hard to melt, but I hadn't anticipated _how _hard. I felt seriously bad for Denis - but he hid his true emotions well.

"I can't believe it," a guard mumbled. "She's actually doing it." I thought I heard the soft sounds of Tamara crying.

"Hey," Baldy said. "What's that smell?"

Well, it was either burning plastic, or burning flesh. It didn't really matter, because when Denis moved his hands next, he broke through the scalding, gooey mess that had been his flexi-cuffs. I stepped out of the way, and Denis charged Baldy, the immediate threat. I quickly kicked Moustachio in a sensitive area, and grabbed the pliers as he went down. I quickly snapped Tamara, Abby, and Adrian's cuffs, and Tamara immediately went to help Denis.

By then, the third, nameless guy was in action. He had a gun, as I feared, and he was now aiming it at _moi. _"Don't move!" he yelled.

I froze, and watched in mesmerization as the gun began to glow a dull orange. Someone - not me - was using fire magic to heat it up.

The guard immediately dropped the gun, wincing and crying out in pain as he shook his hand, trying to throw off the pain. I managed to shove Moustachio into a wall, knocking his head against it, and, like that, he was unconscious. Not dead, thank God. Sort of. I turned around, expecting Baldy to come after me, but I turned around to a silent room, with Denis hovering over the newly unconscious Baldy.

The nameless guard was now frozen in terror as Adrian leveled the gun at him. Staggering over to him, I held out my hand. "Give me that before you hurt somebody."

"Yeah, because you _totally _know you to use a gun," he said.

"I do, actually."

"Oh." He placed it in my outstretched hand without a word, and I shoved it into my belt. Tamara quickly smashed the guards head into a wall, and he sunk to the floor.

"Adrian, get the cuffs," I said. He nodded, walking over to the guard's stash of flexi-cuffs. I turned to Abby. "You're a fire user?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said timidly.

"Well, thank you. You pretty much saved our lives," I smiled.

"You are, too, though," she said, assuming that I had been the one to melt Denis' cuffs. Which I had, but still.

I shook my head. "No. I just have a lot of determination." I smiled. Adrian turned back to me, holding three pairs of flexi-cuffs and a roll of duct tape. Denis and Tamara quickly went to work duct taping their mouths, and, for good measure, duct taping them to the wall, and we stopped at the stairs.

"What time is it?" I asked to no one in particular.

"The guy's watch said it was about ten AM." Denis said.

"So we should be able to just go outside, right? The guards said Isaiah was gone," Abby said in a small voice.

"They haven't left in hours. They could be wrong, and we don't want to do anything stupid," I pointed out.

"We'll scout the rest of the basement," Denis said. I nodded, and he and Tamara walked out into the hallway. They returned roughly two minutes later.

"Not a goddamned window," Denis sighed. "We have to go upstairs."

So we did. Denis led the group, followed by me and Adrian, and Tamara supporting a very weak Abby. She had gone the longest without blood - and she had used a lot of magic to heat up that gun.

We reached the top of the stairs, and I saw the same eccentric foyer as when we'd been brought in. Denis took a few steps forward, looking around the area.

"I think it's cl-" I heard them move almost at the same time I saw them step in front of us. It was like a magician conjured Isaiah and Galina out of thin air. Only, I knew there was no magic involved here. Strigoi were just that fast.

"Children, children," crooned Isaiah. "This isn't how the game works. You're breaking the rules." A cruel smile twitched his lips up. He found us _amusing. _

I glared at Isaiah, probably the scariest glare I've ever given. Which is saying a lot. "My, my. If looks could kill." He arched his eyebrow. "What, and you think that _you _could take both of us? You, a Moroi?"

I looked down, hissing in defeat.

No, I couldn't take them.

But I could provide one hell of a distraction.

I lunged toward Isaiah, but pulled the gun on Galina. I pulled the trigger, hoping that I, by some stroke of luck, managed to hit her, and dropped to the floor, doing a cool somersault-ninja-roll thing to avoid Isaiah. I heard Galina's hiss of pain, and smirked as Denis jumped at her. Tamara went for Isaiah, and then I probably did the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life.

I helped her.

Then, I heard the sweetest of sounds;

The front door opening.

Pretty much everyone was distracted and confused about the new arrival.

Me? I was just thanking my lucky stars.

It was Dimitri.

He looked at me, his face filled with love and relief, and then he turned deadly.

He was like death in a cowboy duster, I thought darkly.

Of course, while I was totally stuck in my own mind thinking these things, Dimitri had descended on Galina - only to have her escape to some other confine of the house.

"Get back!" Dimitri yelled to Tamara, who was grappling with Isaiah - and losing. I grabbed Abby and Adrian by the hand and pulled them toward the door. Once they were safely in the sunlight, I went straight back inside. Or tried to, anyway.

"Rose!" Adrian said, grabbing my arm. "Don't."

"I have to," I said. "I have to make sure he's...he's okay." I said, breaking free of his grip. I saw Tamara and Denis running toward the door, and I immediately felt relief that Adrian and Abby would have double protection. Sunlight, and two trained dhampirs.

I quietly walked back inside, hiding in a shadowy area of the room as I fearfully watched Dimitri and Isaiah grapple. Dimitri had the upper hand, but then -

I felt a hand close around my neck, jerking me out of the shadows.

"He dies, she dies." A cool, unfamiliar female voice said to Dimitri. It wasn't Galina, that's for sure. But some other Strigoi.

And that one moment of hesitation was all it took.

Dimitri lost focus. And Isaiah grabbed his head with both hands, and gave a quick twist. There was a sickening crack. Dimitri's eyes went wide. Then they went blank. A scream filled the room - my own, I realized - as I tried to run toward Isaiah.

"_Let go of me." _I said to my captor, putting every single ounce of compulsion I possibly had into that one sentence. Then, I made her think she was on fire.

I had better things to deal with.

"You're drowning." I said in a monotone to Isaiah. And, like that, it was like he was. He clawed at the air, choking on nothing.

And I grabbed a sword that was in that fancy decorative piece over the fireplace. And charged toward Isaiah.

"_Fucking," _I said as I brought it against his neck. "_Bastard," _I was crying now, sobbing as I brought the sword against his neck. It sang out, wreaking havoc and destruction with each blow. By now? The compulsion had worn off. I just wanted him to _suffer. _

Cutting off a head was harder than I'd anticipated - but I did it nonetheless. I noticed Tamara and Denis had gotten that other Strigoi with the other sword. Good. No fucking Strigoi deserved to live. Ever. They should all just -

"Rose!"

Through my rage-filled haze, I barely heard Adrian's voice.

"Rose, he's dead!"

Slowly, shakily, I stopped my arms from delivering another blow and looked down at Isaiah's newly headless body. He was definitely dead. Very, very dead.

But...

So was Dimitri.

And there was a missing piece inside of me, I realized. I couldn't move. Couldn't think.

But I did anyway.

I crawled over to Dimitri, cradling his face and stroking his hair.

"Live," I choked out, sobbing.

"_Damn _it!" I cried, squeezing my eyes shut. The pain was unbearable. Like a hole had been punched through my chest. Like _I _had died, too.

So I did the only thing I sort of knew how to do - I thought of everything happy in my life. Memories with Dimitri. Random, funny moments that made me smile back at St. Vladimir's. Beautiful colors. My parents.

I closed my eyes, placing my hands on either side of Dimitri's face, praying to God that he lived. Because he _had _to live. He _had _to.

The world spun, and I blacked out.

* * *

**Damn. Intense chapter. **

**POOR DIMITRI! **

**OMG! **

**D: D: D: **

**Will he live? **

**Or will he...DIE?**

**I really hope not. **

**Honestly, Dimitri was somehow gonna be Mason, but then I decided, what the heck, why not mess with 'em? **

**Muaha. **

**So, yeah. Rose orchestrated an escape. Yaaaa!**

**And, yes, this was based off of chapters twenty-twenty two of Frostbite. In case you were wondering. **

**And, yes, Galina escaped and Elena was the random Strigoi that got Rose near the end. **

**AND ROSE KILLED ISAIAH! YEAH, BADASS! **

**Heh heh. **

**So, I really like this chapter. I'm proud of it! Yay! And...yes. Rose's compulsion is more powerful than Isaiah's and Elena's, because when Dimitri died all of his energy went to her, get it? So she used it all up, started to heal Dimitri, and fainted. **

**I suppose we'll find out if he lives next time on...**

**THE LAST ROSE!  
**

**Nah, I'm kidding. I'm totally not cheesy gameshow like that. **

**Omg.**

**Have you guys ever seen a Japanese gameshow? Holy CRAP those are random...**

**It's all chong ping shonksi no haiii and then BAM naked dude on top of a building with a helmet and a rubber duck. **

**Wtf. **

**Ohh, that's a good idea! Vampire Academy Japanese Gameshow! YAY! **

**Lol. **

**So, yeah, go check out my new story, Never Knew - but not before reviewing this one, chickens! **

**Okay, that's all I got. **

**:3**

**REVIEW IF YOU WANT DIMITRI TO LIVE, **

**DON'T IF YOU WANT HIM TO DIE. **


	16. OLD ch15

**Okay...this is a perty long chapter :P**

**And the first part is weird...because Rose has gone temporarily insane from the drugs...**

**LULZ**

**Heh heh. **

**So, because of your life-saving reviews, Dimitri is alive!**

**For now...**

**MUAHAHAHA!**

**Oh, and Rose is now 16. So don't murder me about the age difference! :P **

**Oh, and I have to add: **

**ROSE WILL NOT, I REPEAT, WILL NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH ADRIAN. SO DON'T GO GET ANY WEIRD THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT...BECAUSE IT WON'T HAPPEN! THEY ARE COUSINS IN THIS UNIVERSE!  
**

**And OMG. ROSE KILLED ISAIAH!**

**Should she get a _molnija? _I really can't decide. **

**So. **

**Yeah. **

**Fifteen. **

**Wooo. **

**I keep unsaving the remains of chapter eleven...so perhaps one day I will finish it. **

**So, I'll post a summary or something there. :D**

**ENJOY!  
REVIEW! **

Fifteen.

I woke up to blindingly white surroundings and Dr. Olendski's face.

"Rose?" she asked carefully. "Are you alright, Rose? How do you feel?"

Great. As soon as I wake up they treat me like a medical case. A loon. I wasn't crazy. I wasn't even sure how I had _gotten_ there in the first place...

I shot up in bed, eliciting a few choice words from my mouth when the world started to spaz out on me. "Where's Dimitri?" I demanded, trying to slide out of bed. I looked around the room, expecting him to be here like ever other time I'd hurt myself. I turned back to glare at Dr. Olendski. "Where is he? Where. Is. Dimitri?" I demanded again. She didn't answer, only looking down.

"Dammit," I said, ripping the IV out of my arm and awkwardly clambering out of the hospital bed.

"Rose..." Dr. Olendski tried. "I don't think you should be moving around just yet-"

"I need to see him," I mumbled. I opened the door, nearly running down the hallway; only stopping to peer in each room to see if Dimitri was in any of them.

Finally, at the end of the hall, I saw a familiar tanned face and rumpled brown hair.

"Dimitri," I sighed, quietly opening the door. He was the same as every other time he'd been asleep. Peaceful, a small smile on his face.

Then, I really looked at him.

He had a purplish bruise forming below his left eye, and various other cuts and scrapes here and there. His neck had a thick, white brace on it. I brushed some hair out of his face, and a tear rolled down my cheek, landing on the starched bed sheet that covered Dimitri.

"You can't die." I said quietly. "Live, please. Live for me." I folded my arms on the railing of the bed, rested my chin on them and just watched Dimitri's shallow breathing. I had healed him, but barely. Just enough that they could get him here, on life support or whatever.

Wait.

_Here. _

St. Vladimir's Academy.

Well, damn.

I was right back where I started - more or less. Before we'd left, Dimitri wasn't nearly dead. I supposed this could be considered my fault.

Hooray.

I sighed, looking down at his what would-be-peaceful face. "You seriously can't die on me, you know that? I'll kill you myself if you die," I mumbled. "Trust me. I will. If you die, I'll bring you back to life and kill you. Again." I sighed. "Seriously. And you aren't even _responding _to my threats." I shook my head. "And I'm talking to myself. See? You're bringing on the crazy all by yourself. So much for guarding me...You know what? Forget killing you. I'll talk you to death. Is that even possible?" I blinked. "Wait, no, never mind. If you _die _I'll bring you back to life and _then _I will talk you to death." I frowned. "Damn. What did they _give _me?" I pulled a piece of my hair out of my unruly ponytail, twirling it around my finger as I weighed my options. From what I could tell, I was too drugged up to heal Dimitri. There was, like, a dull buzzing sensation in the back of my head, like a wall. I couldn't reach the healing magic.

Well...he was asleep, wasn't he? Couldn't I dream-stalk him? And, speaking of stalkers, where was Adrian?

I looked down at Dimitri again, squeezing my eyes shut.

"C'mon," I muttered to myself, trying to touch the magic. "Dammit!" I hissed when all that was happening was a dull throbbing sensation in my brain.

"Ugh." I moaned, standing up. "I'll be right back, Dimitri," I said, shuffling out of the room and yawning. I walked back to my room, where Dr. Olendski was waiting patiently.

"Will he..." I looked down. "Will he be...okay?" I asked.

Dr. Olendski bit her lip. "Please sit back down, Rose, you've had a lot of trauma in a small amount of time,"

"I'm fine." I snapped. "Answer my question."

She sighed. "As of now...we don't know, Rose. It's a miracle he survived to begin with."

"And what about the others? Adrian, Abby, Denis? Tamara?" I asked, wanting to avoid the topic of Dimitri's death.

"Here, at the academy. In guest dormitories, I would assume." She said.

"And that's it? Just like that...I'm back? No further punishment, nothing?" I glared angrily.

"Well..." she said. "That's not for me to decide, Rose. You're supposed to speak with Headmistress Kirova soon."

I sighed. "Can I go back to my dorm?"

"I don't think you have one anymore, Rose,"

"Why wouldn't I have a dorm?" I snapped.

"Well...It's been nearly a year since you...left." She said.

"Oh. It's...it's been that long?" I asked, mostly to myself.

"Eight months."

"Eight months..." I repeated. "Oh. I'm sixteen now, aren't I?" I sighed. "March twenty-seventh. That was last week, when the Strigoi..." I laughed darkly. "I forgot my own birthday." I sighed. "How soon until I can go back home? To my dorm, I mean,"

"Last I heard, the dorm attendants were setting one up for you."

"I don't suppose I have a roommate?"

"I don't know, Rose." She smiled, the default setting for any nurse or doctor. "Are you feeling alright? Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah." I said. "And blood. I need blood."

"Alright." She handed me some clothes that looked like mine. "Don't worry, they're washed," she said.

"Oh." I looked at them. They were clean, but... "Oh my God," I said. I sank to the floor. "I...I killed a Strigoi," I said, eyes wide. "Isaiah. I killed him." I repeated.

Dr. Olendski looked down. "I...I'm sorry, Rose. I thought perhaps it was a rumor-"

"I'm fine." I said. "It's just a little weird for me right now." I stood up again, and Dr. Olendski quietly shut the door behind her as to give me privacy.

_I killed a Strigoi. _

With that sword...

Damn.

I killed a damn Strigoi.

I shook my head, sliding on my jeans and t-shirt. I opened the door, and Dr. Olendski led me to the medical clinic's small feeding room.

"Good to see you back, Rose," the woman at the desk had said when I signed my name.

"Yeah." I mumbled as she pointed me to the right room.

I quickly swept in and fed, wanting to get it over with. Wanting to see Dimitri again.

"Headmistress Kirova has asked to see you," Dr. Olendski said as I walked out.

"Oh." I said. "Okay." She signed the papers for my release, and some guardian that I didn't really know escorted me out.

It was nighttime, around the start of the Moroi day.

Wonderful.

The guardian - Stan, who Mason had told me was simply a bitch - led me to Kirova's office through the commons, where everyone was eating. Lovely. Almost as soon as I walked in, the room went silent and all of the eyes turned toward me. I felt like a rock star. Or a circus freak. I couldn't decide.

I turned my chin up defiantly anyway, ignoring most of the widened eyes and whispers. I frowned as I passed them, seriously missing the quiet life that Dimitri and I had lived. The voices in the commons grew louder as I left - no doubt rumors and gossip already swirling. How fun.

Stan quietly led me up the steps and down the hall to Kirova's office. She looked the same as ever - mean, and kind of bird-like.

"Rosemarie." She said in greeting.

"Yeah." I snapped, looking away.

"You understand why you are here, of course?"

"I guess."

"You _ran away." _

_"_Why is that so awful?" I snapped.

She glared. "Perhaps not awful on your part, but on Dimitri Belikov's? Unforgivable."

Dimitri Belikov. Not Guardian Belikov. What was going on...? "It was my idea. All of it." I said. "He had no part, only my...Accomplice. Please," I said. "Don't...Don't punish him. Please," I blinked back tears.

"Well, he may not survive anyway. Besides, he is expendable. You," she said, focusing her penetrating stare on me, "are not."

_He's not expendable. Not to me. _"He isn't expendable. My parents, they wanted - "

"I know what your parents wished, God bless their souls," she said. "But such an act simply cannot be excused. Belikov was trained, and his duty was to keep you safe. He failed, and - "

"I'm still here, aren't I?" I said quietly. "Obviously I'm safe. In Russia, he gave his life for me...Almost. He protected me, no matter what."

"_You got lucky._" She said, glaring. "The situation remains the same, Rose."

"If I may," a familiar voice interceded, "Guardian Belikov and Rose here have a bond."

"Excuse me?" Kirova asked, taken aback.

"You know what I'm talking about," Adrian said, smirking.

"The stories, centuries old...Nothing more than legends." She sniffed.

"Really?" Adrian said. "I've...sensed something. They are most definitely bonded." He smiled at his own intelligence.

"Who are you, anyway? Besides a Moroi from the rescue mission?" she asked, clearly annoyed - like most people would be - with Adrian.

"Adrian." He said. "Adrian Ivashkov."

Kirova's eyes widened as she glanced between him and me. I mostly just glared at the ground and Adrian wore a ridiculous smile on his face. "Ivashkov?" she repeated.

"Yep." I said. "I'll save you the time: he actually is an Ivashkov."

"That's impossible." She said stubbornly.

"Yeah, well, apparently not." I said. Adrian chuckled.

Kirova sighed, massaging her temples. "_Any_way, like I said, the situation remains. Bond or no, Dimitri Belikov failed his obligation and duty to protect you, and he will no longer continue to be your guardian."

"That's not fair!" I yelled, standing up. "It was all my idea! Punish _me! _He isn't expendable, either. Adrian's right," I said. "We do have a bond. And who better to protect the last - one of the last - Ivashkovs?" I said, shaking with anger. They would not take Dimitri away from me. They wouldn't. "You will not take him away from me." I said, so coldly it kind of scared even me. I just felt...rage. Pure rage. They wouldn't take him away from me. Not him, not my everything. I closed my eyes, grasping for the magic. The compulsion. If I could just...

"I'm sorry, Rosemarie. He may remain here, in the Medical Center, until he recovers...But it has been decided. Dimitri Belikov may no longer call himself a guardian."

* * *

"I can't _believe _them," I fumed.

"I know, Rose. I'm sorry," Adrian replied, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You." I snapped. "You could've helped. _You _weren't all drugged up! You could've used compulsion!" I was nearly screaming at the end. Blinded by my...rage.

"Calm down, Rose. There was nothing I could've done, okay?" he looked down. "I really am sorry."

"We have a bond!" I went on. "They can't just..." I wiped a tear from my cheek. "They just _can't! _And I can't visit him, and I can't see him, and - and..." I trailed off, my voice ending in a sob. I broke down, my shoulders shaking with the force of my sobs. All of my rage had evaporated into painful sorrow. Which wasn't much better, not at all.

Adrian's arms wrapped around me. "It's okay, little Ivashkov," he whispered.

"D-Dimitri," I said. "H-he'll be gone," I hiccuped. "I-I h-have to s-see him-m,"

"I know." Adrian said soothingly. "I'll...I'll figure something out. When the sun is out, I'll come get you, okay? I'll sneak you into the med center."

"Th-thank you, Adrian," I said, wiping tears from my eyes. "Really."

"Of course, little Ivashkov."

"It's almost daylight," I noticed, looking out across the roof. "I should be getting back."

"Okay." He said. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"But you don't even know what dorm I'm in!" I said. "I don't even know what dorm I'm in..." I murmured.

He laughed. "I think I can find out."

* * *

"Dorm 22A," the Moroi attendant said as she handed me my key.

"Thanks," I muttered, picking up my tiny backpack with my few belongings and heading toward the stairs. I mumbled profanities, throwing in Kirova's name and some threats for good measure. I shoved the key in the lock and opened the door -

To a very shocked Lissa Dragomir.

"Oh." I said. "Hi."

She looked kind of surprised, then her face shifted to a look of sympathy. "Hi, Rose."

"Er..." I said, awkwardly, shifting my bag on my shoulder. "Did I get the wrong dorm? Or something?"

She shook her head. "No. We're, ah, roommates." She smiled. "They set your stuff up already," she said, pointing to the bed next to the window. "I hope you don't mind the window...I can totally move my stuff if-"

"The window's fine, Lissa," I said, walking over and dropping my bag at the corner of the bed. "I hope you don't mind if I, like, live here and stuff."

She laughed. "It's fine. You saved me from rooming with Camilla," she laughed.

"Aren't you two friends?" I said innocently.

She grimaced. "Well..."

I laughed. "I know how it works."

She smiled. "I'm glad you're back, Rose."

"Yeah." I said, looking at the ceiling.

"Where...where did you go?" she asked hesitantly, most likely afraid of my reaction.

"Russia." I said simply. "Well, for the...End of it." I said quietly.

"And...some people were saying you...That you killed a Strigoi?" she asked, almost silently.

I turned over, facing the window. "Yeah." I said. "Because he killed Dimitri."

"Guardian Belikov?" she asked, confusion lacing her voice. "But...I thought he was in the med center..." she said.

"It's...a really long story."

"Do you think they'll give you those _molnija _things?"

"I don't know." I replied.

"And Guardian Belikov-"

"Look, I really don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" I said as nicely as I could. Which wasn't very nice.

"Oh. Okay." She said. "Goodnight," she said.

"Yeah." I said, waiting for Lissa to fall asleep. Waiting for Adrian.

Waiting, most of all, for Dimitri.

* * *

**Ohhh so I drove a car today! **

**XD **

**Heh heh...I'm 13, so I'm pretty sure that's illegal. **

**Oh, well. **

**:D :D :D**

**Anywaaayyys,**

**I was googling Camilla Conta because I couldn't remember if it was Camille or Camilla, and if you google Camilla Conta my story, Fan Mail, comes up(THE FIRST THING, TOO!)!**

**I'M GOOGLEABLE!**

**Obviously this is a huge moment for me.**

***Dances***

**Ohhh, and I'm sorry it's so long. I just went on and on...**

**:P **

**So yeah. **

**REVIEW. **

**Now. **

**Remember, I have Dimitri on life support. **

**One little slip, and...**

**BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP**

**So review. **

**Or the Russian gets it. **

**Trust me, it will pain me more than it will pain you...**

**BUT I WANT REVIEW!**

***Hiss***

**Hehe, I went all Twilight on you, suckah! **

**Hahaha. **

**So, yeah! Thanks again for all of your AMAZING reviews! I love dem! Literally, I'm all :O when I get a new one! XD **

**So, thank you thank you! **

**See you...you know. Whenever I decide to update. :) **

**Looove, **

**Maddie**


	17. OLD ch16

**Hi! **

**CHAPTER! YAY!  
oh, i just update St. Anna's, incase you read that...**

**AND I WILL UPDATE NEVER KNEW SOON! SO GO REVIEW IT NAO PLEASE!  
**

**Okay, so, yeah. **

**:( I teared up a little bit here...**

**BUT I TELL YOU NO MORE!  
Thanks again for all of your AMAZING reviews! AH! :D **

**Kk, love ya, **

**Maddie :D**

**

* * *

**

Sixteen

I lay awake, fully dressed, on top of the covers of my bed. Perhaps last week, I never would've been able to sit still this long. But today? I don't know. Something was...Different. In me, I mean. I felt like I was different.

It could only be expected, though, right? I had been through...Well, a hell of a lot.

I ran away.

I fell in love.

I got captured by Strigoi.

I killed a Strigoi.

And Dimitri was killed.

Not exactly a normal, teenage year. I sighed, still pointlessly pushing against the wall that kept me from my magic. I didn't know how long these damn drugs would last, but they'd better get the hell out of my system soon. Dimitri needed me. Life-or-death needed me. And I needed him, so he couldn't die.

That was my reasoning, at least. I needed him. He needed me. That was how it worked with love, or so I'd assume. I'd never really been in love like this before. Yeah, I'd messed around with a few guys, but it was different with Dimitri. Most of the time, it seemed like he was the only person in the world that...understood me.

Great. Now I sound like one of those suicidal, "misunderstood" teenagers.

Hell, maybe I was.

Wonderful. This day was just going fucking _wonderfully. _Ugh.

"_Rose!_" a voice hissed from outside. I silently slid off of my bed and walked to the window. It was bright out, so I carefully raised the curtains and shut them behind me.

"Adrian?" I said.

He waved his arms. "Over here! Can you climb down?"

I looked at the sheer wall below me. "Um." I said, frowning.

"Here, catch this ladder," he said, pulling one of those escape-in-a-fire ladder things out of his backpack. He looked at it for a moment, then raised his arm and threw it in my general direction.

One thing you should know: Moroi are _not _very athletic. So it kind of went like this:

The ladder goes flying and then - plop, it falls back to the ground about five feet away from Adrian.

"Shit!" he cursed, picking up the ladder.

"Come closer!" I hissed. He nodded, trying again, and, by some miracle, I managed to catch the damn thing. I fidgeted with it for a minute, and latched it onto the windowsill. I carefully swung my leg over, and made my way down the scarily unstable ladder. Adrian was smirking when I reached the ground.

"I know, I'm a genius," he said.

I looked at him with a please-if-you-actually-think-that-you're-stupider-than-I-thought look. "Let's go," I said, rolling my eyes. Adrian just laughed in that annoying as hell way of his. "What's the plan?" I said miserably.

"Eh, there isn't much of one. You know, a little compulsion here, there, everywhere..." he looked at me. "Then you get to see your Russian lover."

"Adrian..." I said, looking down. I hated to ask this of him.

"Hm?"

"You...you can do some of the same things as me, can't you?" I said.

He nodded. "I suppose. Why?"

"Well..." I sighed. "I can't heal Dimitri right now because of whatever drug they have me on. Do you think...Do you think you can heal him? Not completely, not at all, I just..." I bit my lip.

"I'll help however I can, Rose, although that's not promising much."

"Okay. Thank you, Adrian," I said meaningfully.

"Of course."

Everything looked vastly different in the sunlight - the school less threatening, the grounds...livelier, as barren as they were at the moment.

"It's pretty," I commented.

"Yeah." He said stiffly.

I stopped, turning to face him. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He cast his eyes down toward me. "Nothing," he said, too innocently.

I glared. "Seriously."

He smirked. "I just don't like it here."

"Why?"

He smiled forlornly. "All my life, I've been..." he searched for the right words. "On the run, in a sense. I knew what the Moroi world was...But I didn't want to be any part of it. And now I am."

"Then leave," I snapped.

He smiled in a are-you-serious sort of way. "I wouldn't do that, Rose."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because, Rose. I haven't had any type of family in...A long time. I don't even remember my parents," he said. "Now that I've found you? No way I'm leaving. You're like the little sister I never had." He smiled again, more serious than I had ever seen him.

"Oh." Was all I could say. I surprised even myself when I plowed into him, wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you, Adrian," I said, sniffing. Damn. I was turning into such a softie.

The things that Russian could do to me.

Adrian chuckled, wrapping his arms around my back. "C'mon, Rose," he said. "Let's go heal your Russian."

* * *

Ten annoying, confused, compulsion-ed doctors and nurses later, Adrian and I snuck silently into Dimitri's room. He was still unconscious, to my immense dismay. I sighed, kneeling on the floor next to his bed.

"Is he okay?" Adrian asked stupidly.

I looked at him in a you-idiot kind of way. "What do you think, oh wise one?" I said sarcastically. "He's just _unconscious!_"

He laughed. "I know. I meant will he...Never mind. He's unconscious, right?" He blinked. "I'll be right back."

"Huh?" I asked when Adrian settled into his chair and spaced out. "Oh." I said, glaring at the floor. No fair. Adrian could see the man I loved, but I couldn't?

Something divine definitely hated me up there.

"Thank you _so _much, Universe," I muttered. I looked over at Adrian, resisting the temptation to poke his arm. Obviously, he had gotten through to Dimitri or whatever, because he was still sitting there, as silently as anyone had ever seen the boy. After a few more seconds, he blinked, and looked at me.

"Well?" I said anxiously.

"He says 'hi.'" He smirked.

I glared. "Seriously, Adrian."

He chuckled. "I told him what was going on - what was going to happen - and...Well, he was pissed, to say the least. He almost..._Cried, _which is totally shocking, considering who he is and all. And he wants to wake up. Bad. He said he'd been trying, but..."

I looked at Dimitri's lifeless form, begging someone, anyone, who happened to be listening for a miracle.

And, for once in my life, someone _listened. _

Dimitri's eyebrow raised. Of course.

Then he blinked.

I shot into a standing position. "Dimitri!" I cried, barely restraining myself from hurling myself at him.

His eyebrow furrowed, and his eyes opened. "Roza," he breathed. I barely noticed a smirking - of course - Adrian slip out the door, presumably to give us some privacy.

"I love you," I sobbed, kneeling again and stroking his cheek.

He surprised me (and probably himself) by swiftly pulling me toward him and crushing my lips to his. I gently bit his bottom lip, and laughed when I heard the heart monitor racing beside me. I pulled back, breathing heavily. "So I have that kind of effect on you, Comrade?" I teased.

He smiled weakly. "Unfortunately, my Roza."

"I missed...You," I said weakly, burying my face in his shoulder. He stroked my hair lightly.

"Me too, Rose. More than you could even comprehend,"

"They...they're going to separate us," I choked out.

"I know."

"And you're just going to let it happen?" I demanded angrily. "Sorry," I muttered, not wanting to upset him.

"In a way, yes."

"_What?" _I said, shooting up. "Sorry!" I apologized fervently when he winced in pain.

"In a way, Rose. Yes...We will be separated, for a while," he looked on the verge of tears at that aspect. "But just until graduation, my love."

"That's two years away!" I sobbed, tears flowing shamelessly down my flushed cheeks.

"I know, Roza. But is it not worth a lifetime together?"

"I..."

"I'm sorry. I wish...I wish there was some other way. But there isn't."

"Dimitri, you aren't even a guardian anymore! How can this be okay?" I flared up again.

He closed his eyes. "With you, Rose, everything is okay to me."

"Dimitri..." I whispered. "Is there any way I can -"

"No, Rose." He said sternly. "Don't use your magic. I don't think...I don't think it's healthy for you, at the moment."

"Oh." I said, sighing. "Okay." _Please don't catch my lie, please don't catch my lie...Shit. You can read my damn thoughts. _

"Rose." He looked at me pointedly. "No."

"Alright." I said, mostly meaning it.

Adrian peered through the door, his face questioning if our love-fest was over. I nodded, and he walked in. I looked at Dimitri. "Can he heal you?" I asked, raising both eyebrows, since some freaking genetic anomaly didn't allow me to raise just _one. _Damn the world.

Dimitri looked warily at the smiling, seemingly innocent Moroi that stood in front of him. I was sort of happy that I was the only one he trusted, but I was also going to be pretty pissed if he didn't let Adrian heal him. And, goddammit, Adrian would heal him.

"Do it, Adrian!" I hissed. "I'll hold his arms!"

Dimitri awkwardly turned to face me. "Rose." He sighed. "I'll let him heal me. Brute force isn't necessary, love."

Adrian chuckled, placing a hand on Dimitri's arm while Dimitri glared at him. Adrian looked at me. "I can't really heal much, but I'll try." He smiled, and Dimitri's glare deepened. Adrian closed his eyes, and, I don't know, I could just...see Dimitri getting stronger.

Apparently, so could Dimitri.

And at that moment, Dimitri decided to get _really _jealous. And he decided to try to attack Adrian.

He, like, flew out of his bed, ripping off his cast, and lifted Adrian by the collar of his shirt.

It all took place in the span of about three seconds.

"Dimitri!" I said, poking his arm. "What the hell are you _doing?" _

And he just _ignored _me!

"You," he said to Adrian, glaring in a way that would scare a Strigoi to death, "stay away from her. Understand?" he shook Adrian on the "understand."

"Dude, you're crazy!" Adrian said, squirming. "I'm not in love with her! She's related to me!"

"What if you aren't really an Ivashkov?" Dimitri snapped, still effortlessly lifting poor, poor Adrian off of the ground.

"I am!" he said. "And I would never do that, okay? I don't love Rose! I swear!"

Dimitri glowered furiously for a few more seconds, closed his eyes and set Adrian down.

"What has gotten into you?" I said to Dimitri.

"Him."

"He really is my cousin, okay? He's like a brother! That'd be creepy as hell if I dated him! And I _wouldn't! _I just love you, Dimitri," I said, crushing my lips to his. He moaned, and Adrian made a gagging sound.

"I should go..." I murmured, not entirely convincing even myself.

"As much as it kills me to say it, I have to agree, my love. My Roza," he touched his lips to mine briefly, then drew back, picking up his duster and jeans from the chair next to his bed. To my dismay, he still had a t-shirt and boxers on, but still...

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Leaving." He said quietly.

"What?" I cried. "You can't!"

He looked at me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Roza, I..." he looked down. "I have to." He slid on his duster, and he ran. All I could do was stand there like an idiot and watch as the man I loved left.

For how long? I could only hope that it...That he came back to me soon.

His hair had been undone, I realized. I loved it that way. I always had. I laughed under my breath; this was what I chose to notice out of the situation?

"Let's go, Rose," Adrian said quietly.

"Yeah." I said, surprised by how weak and...broken my voice sounded.

I walked out the door in a trance. I couldn't think. I could barely move.

He was gone.

_Gone. _

* * *

***Sniff***

**WHYYY! **

**WHY ROSE! **

**She so meeeann...**

**Argh. **

**Well, anyway, it sets up for later, so NO HATERS!  
Hehe, I haven't gotten a flame yet...this must not be half bad. **

**Anyway, I'm glad you guys like this story! :) It just makes my day, your reviews... **

**Whoa, I sounded like Yoda or something there.  
**

**Stupid green frog-elf thing...**

**Argh. Star Wars and I have a baaaad history. **

**No, wait, Star TREK. *Shudders.* Star Wars is perfectly fine, I suppose...**

**Okay, what? **

**Annyway, I got brown hair today! I'm so happy! (3 I think it looks pretty good...:D **

**Ah, well, REVIEW NEVER KNEW! AND THIS, THIS FIRST! **

**LOVE YOU! **

**REVIEW!  
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**PAUL! MUAHAHA!  
I WILL KILL PAUL AND DIMITRI UNLESS YOU REVIEW!  
SO DO IT!  
Hehehe **

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	18. OLD ch 17

**Heeyyy**

**I bet I know what you're thinking...**

**OMG MADDIE YOU'RE ALIVE!**

**And then...**

**GOD UR A SUCKY UPDATER!  
**

**I know! :O**

**I sorry...**

**But I haz a long chapter in store for you guys. It's one of the last chapters; I only plan on having 21-22.  
**

**Then, it's over. :(  
**

**Hehehehehehe**

**I KNOW I'M EVIL. **

**Wait, what? **

**Yeah, I don't even really know...**

**So did you miss my completely random ANs? **

**Yeah, I bet you did. **

**So did you guys know I speak Russian? Yeah. So that means I have a waaay better chance of dating Dimitri! **

**HA**

**Hehehe**

**MUAHAHH**

**Jk jk. Although I do speak Russian...WHEE it's a fun language**

**Jk it probably sucks to try to learn (I've known it since I was like born I was raised in Russia ahaha :D )**

**ANYWAY...**

**Thanks again guys for all of the amazing reviews. I have oodles of them. OODLES. I love the reviews...SO SEND ME THEM**

**Please? **

**Okay, yeah, I'll shut up now. **

**Byes **

**

* * *

**Seventeen.

DAYS TURNED INTO WEEKS. WEEKS turned into months. On and on my own personal hell went, each second without _him_ seeming to stretch for days.

I hated it. Being...alone. Not knowing if he was okay - if I would see him again.

Kirova had given me one of her ridiculously long speeches about "right" and "wrong" the day after Dimitri left.

Apparently, my being with Dimitri was "wrong."

So was my "nefarious plot to escape the school." I swear. She freaking said _nefarious. _I wasn't _that _bad, was I? I was just a helpless, confused, sixteen-and-a-half year old Moroi. Which meant I was slightly pubescent, really hormonal, and going through a lot of shit that _normal _people go through - not to mention _added _stress. Like, for example, knowing that immortal vampires want to suck my blood. Or, you know, I'm the last freaking Ivashkov (besides Adrian. Still.). And the love of my life is _on the run from the law. _

Jeez, listen to me rant. Blah, blah, blah. Ew. I really don't want to start talking about my feelings. This isn't Oprah or whatever, and I'm not stupid, or an emotional soap-opera kind of person. Haha. Opera...Oprah... I blinked lazily, not really focusing on the way-too-freaking-hard math problems adorning the chalk board. Hell, I doubted I could even solve two-plus-two this fine morning. I hadn't slept in two nights. Why, you ask? I was sort of dream-stalking Dimitri. Well, trying to, at least. Adrian had said either he wasn't asleep, or he was purposely blocking me out. And, honestly, I was _really _hoping for the first option. I really didn't need rejection on top of all my other shit.

"Rosemarie, please answer problem number twenty-two," Mr. Berty said to me. Oh, shit...My grades had been steadily dropping over the last few months. I pretty much had a D average all over. So maybe he wouldn't expect much, and -

"Four thousand point one," Mason whispered from behind me, smiling in a it's-okay-I-get-it-you're-like-depressed-and-stuff-but-I'd-still-totally-be-your-best-friend sort of way.

"Thanks," I whispered as I moved toward the board, filling in the blank space for number twenty-two. "Uh, four thousand point one...?" I said, not really knowing how much faith I could put in Mason's math skills.

"Very good, Rose," Mr. Berty said warily.

"Woo!" Mason yelled, clapping. Pretty soon the entire class was cheering and clapping, and I was standing in front of the room, blushing like an idiot._ What _was _with _me?

I laughed weirdly. "Thanks," I said, with a hint of my old swagger. God, I missed the old me. But Awesome Rose decided to make a run for it (along with Dimitri, go figure), leaving me to fend for myself. Thanks a lot, Rose. Other self. Whatever. Ugh. I sound insane again, and maybe I was. Emotional speeches with lots of adjectives describing my own inner turmoil in some kind of inner monologue? Was that normal? I kind of doubted it.

Mason poked me, sliding a note into my hand.

_You feeling better? :) _

I sighed. No. But I wrote, _Yeah, sort of. I guess. Maybe?_ And kicked it back to Mason.

_Me, Eddie, Christian and Adrian kind of decided to throw you a party. For your birthday? And you're invited and stuff. So will you come? It's in Diego's dorm._ I blew out a sigh; Parties. Wonderful. I would be so...lifeless. Well, no, not necessarily. If there was anything I learned over the last few months, it was that anything with Adrian involved always had alcohol. So, yeah, I could let loose a little bit. Forget about my living hell.

Oh, shit, there I go again with descriptive inner monologue.

_Sounds awesome. _I said, pushing it back to Mason. He smiled and put a few of his papers up, waiting for the bell to ring. I looked at my schedule, smiling when I saw I had Culinary Arts next. Cooking. With my Cake Buddy, Christian.

Oh, yes. I had unfinished business with _him. _He ruined my sweater.

Nobody ruins Rose Ivashkov's sweater. No one.

* * *

"And then you crack the egg, see? Then you put it in the bowl and mix it with all that other shit," I said, trying to explain how to make _special_ cupcakes to a very amused Christian Ozera.

"What makes them _special_?" he asked.

"Oh, you'll see." I said, surprising myself by laughing. _Dammit, _why is it so surprising? Just get on with your life, Rose! Jeez. Oh, shit, now I'm talking to myself...

"Really, little Ivashkov, I'm curious. What makes your cupcakes special? Besides the fact that someone as lovely as you is making them?" Adrian said from behind me.

"Shut up. You'll see. What's the fun in it if I ruin the surprise?"

"I don't trust you when you use the word 'surprise.'" Christian said.

"Oh very funny," I muttered, plotting his demise by various food groups. Christian would suffer for what he did to my sweater. Vengeance _would _be mine. Or revenge. Whatever. One of those "enge" words that people do when someone screws with them. Yeah. Oh, great, now I was ruining the moment. Stupid Rose. "Hey, Christian," I said innocently.

"What?" he snapped, stirring something in a bowl.

"You have something on your face." I said, restraining a smirk.

He blinked. "Wh-" And I chucked an egg at him. It smacked him square in the nose, too. Yeah. I'm pretty badass.

"Right," I poked the drippy egg stuff, "there."

"You suck." He said, glaring furiously.

"Whatever! My sweater made me swear vengeance! And it is mine, Christian Ozera! So, _ha!" _

Christian grumbled a few profanities, wiping his face with a towel, and Adrian was practically on the floor with laughter. "You know, Rose," Christian said. "I didn't want to have to resort to this. But you leave me no choice." And he threw something cold, slightly wet, and slimy at me.

"I...what the hell..._ew..._oh, shit..." Were among the several nasty things that came out of my mouth. "You...what did you throw at me?" I yelled, half-laughing even though it totally _was not _funny.

"I think it was raw fish," Adrian said, still laughing his little ass off.

"Why the _hell _would you throw a raw fish at me?" I yelled, pissed off but still inexplicably laughing.

"Why would you throw raw baby chickens at me?" he said, snickering.

"You ruined my sweater."

"You turned my hair white."

Adrian stood up. "Look, let's just put our differences aside..." while he was rambling, Christian and I had one of those look-at-each-other-and-sort-of-know-what-they're-thinking-type-of-deals and both reached for the cupcake shit, got a handful, and smashed it into Adrian's hair/face. Oh yes.

"Yes!" Christian said, hi-fiving me. I laughed, pointing at Adrian as he tried to sort out the goo from his hair and clothes.

"Loser," I said through giggles.

"Maybe you _are _nefarious," Adrian said.

"Yeah. I get that a lot," I snickered. "Oh, do you have any alcohol on you?" Christian kind of stared at me in a well-I-didn't-expect-you-to-be-an-alcoholic-but-it's-all-good way.

He nodded, wordlessly handing me a flask. "Why?"

"Special cupcakes," I said, dumping the entire contents of the flask (read: not much) into the bowl.

Adrian stood up, watching his precious vodka fall into the bowl. "I think I'll like these cupcakes." He said.

Christian laughed. "Wow. You're seriously going to make those? Isn't alcohol flammable?" Oh, shit, I think he was right. All I knew was that I'd had rum-infused-cupcakes and they were _delicious. _

"Um," I said, thinking of an explanation. "I'm a professional." We poured it into those little pans with the holes, and stuck it in the oven, kind of hoping it wouldn't explode._ Why _I was making alcoholic cupcakes? I don't know. It seemed awesome.

"Maybe they'll taste good," Adrian said dazedly.

"Hell yeah, they'll taste good!" I snapped. "I made them, and I am, of course, a professional chef. Duh."

"Oh, yes, of course," Christian said, snickering.

"Don't make me throw another egg at you, Fire Boy."

"Hey! Just because I have pyromaniac tendencies does_ not _give you the right to call me 'Fire Boy.'" He sniffed.

I snorted. "Please. Would you prefer Fire Crotch?"

Adrian laughed. "Fire Crotch? That's...interesting."

I put my hand up. "Stay out of this."

"Fine, fine," he said, putting his hands up in surrender.

"What's wrong with 'Christian?'" Christian whined.

"Do you want to sound like a badass, or not?"

"How does Fire Crotch make me seem like a badass? It sounds like I have herpes." _Ew. _

"Fire Boy, then."

"Man. Fire _Man." _

"Oh, please, don't flatter yourself."

"Man!"

"Boy."

"Man."

"Boy, stupid."

"Man!"

"You're a boy. Not a man."

"Teenager, actually."

"So," I said, "it's settled. We shall call you Fire Crotch Teenager Boy." I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Um. Yeah, I really don't have a response to that," he said with a yeah-should-I-be-offended-or-something look on his face.

"Or fuc-tah-bee for short." I said, giggling like a maniac. Oh, shit. I was _giggling? _Jeez. Maybe I would get over this.

"Haha, fuck the bee," Adrian said, watching us with an amused expression across his face. A small _ding _sounded, and we all ducked down to see if the cupcakes survived.

"Is that one..." Christian said, pointing at a cupcake.

"On fire?" I finished. "Yeah, I think so." He stood there with his mouth open. "Well, come on, fuc-tah-bee! Put it out!" I said, giggling and wondering how the teacher could've possibly stayed oblivious throughout our conversation/food fight.

"Oh, yeah, right," Christian said, kind of reaching into the oven and picking the fire up. "There." He said smugly, shrinking the fire so that it sizzled pitifully and went out.

"Cool," Adrian and I said simultaneously.

"How's that for a bee fucker?" he said, smirking. "Let's try these cupcakes."

* * *

I stumbled back to my dorm, my arm linked with Adrian's. "Those..." I hiccuped, "were some-" _hicc _"_delicious, _amazing, beautiful cupcakes!" I said, giggling like a maniac.

Adrian laughed, smiling down at me. "Wow. It really doesn't take much to get you drunk,"

"Well," I sighed, taking a deep breath. "I ate more of them than you and Beefuckah and so therefore I would be more drunk or something. And we don't all live with alcoholic beverages attacking our kidneys I mean really how are you still alive anyway you drink like ten gajillion gallons of alcohol like every hour and I mean like I don't want you to, you know, die or something but still it's kinda like your committing suicide and why would you do that? And besides I'm drunk because it was all fwoom and WAH and then BANG everything was rainbows..." I said, sighing happily at my explanation.

"Rainbows...?" he said, chuckling. "You know what? You're totally right, Rose."

"I know, right? Oh, look, my dorm," I said, pressing my face against it.

"Rose?" Adrian spun me around, placing his hands on either side of me.

"Whut?" I said, wide-eyed.

"I have a confession to make." He said, too serious for Adrian. "I'm not...I'm not really an Ivashkov."

I laughed, like that was the most ridiculous thing ever. "Yeah right I mean you told me and everything!"

He sighed. "I know. And, honestly, I guess I still could be, but-" he sighed. "Maybe now's not the time for this conversation. Don't we have a party to get to?"

"Oh yeah!" I squee-d, all thoughts of Adrian not-Ivashkov gone. I turned around, unlocking the door to a studying Lissa.

"Hi Lissa!" I said on my way to the bathroom, towing Adrian along with me.

"Uh, hi?" she said, raising a hand in greeting to me and probably wondering what Adrian was doing in here. So I gave her an explanation. Duh.

"Oh don't worry he's not really a guy he's a girl," I said as I shut the door. "See?" I giggled. "There. Now she won't suspect a thing,"

"Uh huh." Adrian said. "Do I really have to watch you fix your hair and makeup? I mean, if you're going to shower or something, go ahead, though..."

I smacked him. "Pedo-bear," I said.

He sighed, connecting his palm with his face. From this point onward, I shall call it "facepalming." I know, I'm so smart.

"But yeah." I said. "You're my new..." I thought for a minute, "Makeup buddy person thing!" I giggled and hiccuped again, opening my makeup bag and sweeping some powder across my face. I dug around for my blush for a minute, then held it out to Adrian. "We should do your makeup, too," I said mischeviously.

"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea, Rose..." he said, backing away from the powder brush.

"But then Lissa might be suspicious!" I whispered.

"Well, then, maybe I should go wait outside the dorm, okay? Meet me outside when you're ready." He laughed again, hurriedly running out the door and into the hallway. Little wimp...

Fishing some eyeliner out of the bag, I managed to apply it without stabbing myself in the eye. I swiped some reddish glitter on my eyelids, added mascara and lipgloss, and told Lissa I had to go study for something. She just shook her head and laughed softly.

"I know about the party, Rose," she smiled.

"I..what party?" I quickly covered.

"I'm invited." She said, standing up. I looked at her dress; it was silvery, and fell just above her knees. It was to die for.

"I love your dress," I said, glancing down at my own outfit. Oh. Just today's jeans and a t-shirt. Well, I should probably change, then.

"Do you want to borrow something?" she said, walking to her closet and digging around for a second. "How about," she pulled something out. "This?" she held out a short, black bandage dress for me to admire.

"Oh, hell yes." I said, grabbing it and running to the bathroom to put it on. I realized I hadn't brushed my hair, either. Yeah. Okay. Special brownies were not a good idea for Rose. I quickly brushed the dark waves out, letting them fall down my back. "Okay!" I said, walking out and shoving my feet into a pair of red shiny stilettos. "I'm ready!" Lissa chuckled, and we walked to the door, opening it to a waiting Adrian. I had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes practically jump out of his head when he saw me.

"You look...wow," he said, blinking. He smiled. "Let's go."

"Wait," I said, looking at Adrian's outfit. He had on a semi-formal tuxedo with a loose green tie. "I thought we were going to freaking Diego's room for, like, beer and stuff!"

He laughed. "Well, we had to tell you something, didn't we? Kirova agreed to let us take you out to this club-thing. It just opened, up in Missoula."

My face lit up. "Really?" I asked, practically bouncing up and down.

He laughed. "Yep. Thank Lissa, though. She convinced Kirova it would be 'therapuedic.'"

I turned to my new best friend. "Thank you, Lissa," I said, hugging her. "Really."

She laughed. "Of course. I really got sick of your depressing-ness, anyway, so I talked to Kirova." She smiled in this weirdly angelic way.

"Well, let's go," Adrian said. "We kind of don't want to miss our ride."

"Oh, right." I said. We hurried to the main office of the Moroi dorm, and Adrian handed the attendant lady some official-looking papers signed by Kirova. We walked outside, and Alberta, Stan, Yuri, and some other guardians were waiting by a black van-thing. I saw Mason, Eddie, Christian, and some other people I knew impatiently (read: bouncing around and throwing things) sitting in the rows of seats. I clambered in, careful not to flash Adrian, Lissa, and the guardians, and plopped down next to Mason.

"Hey," I said, smiling. Mason's jaw all but dropped as his eyes took me in. I giggled, definitely liking this dress.

"I...Uh..Happy birthday, Rose," he said, smiling and hugging me.

"Thanks." I said. "Really. But my birthday, was, like, half a year ago. Why the sudden celebration?"

"Oh, I, uh, we just felt bad we didn't throw you a party." He said quickly. I thought he was lying, but I let it go.

The drive to Missoula was slightly tedious but dangerously fun. We played truth or dare for a while (I picked truth. Every time. Something _must _be wrong with me.), and then flung random objects at Stan, all of us looking away when he turned back to glare at us.

Man, I loved my friends.

Anyway, I was seriously touched they had gone to such lengths to make me feel better. I mean, convincing Kirova to let us leave campus was a pretty big deal. It was hard to convince her of _anything. _

We came to a stop a few hours later, at about eleven P.M., human time. The club that stood before us was big, and vibrant, and glowing, and amazing. Adrian caught up with me as we quickly walked the short distance to the doors, ever watched by the guardians. "Excited, little Ivashkov?" he asked.

I nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes. I love dancing. And parties. And clubs. And guys," I said, watching a particularly sexy blond guy walk out of the building. Hmm.

Some tall security dudes stopped us at the entrance, but Alberta spoke to him for a second and we were allowed entrance. Damn. Strict security much?

Anyway, Christian and Lissa had started talking pretty much the minute she had gotten in the car, and they went off in their own corner or whatever. Mason, Eddie, and Adrian had stuck with me, and the guardians kind of became invisible.

"Come one, guys! Dance!" I said, dancing in my best interpretation of a stripper while Eddie, Mason, and Adrian all watched with a glazed look on their face. "Ooh," I said, running over to the food table where a particularly hot human guy was getting some punch. "Hey," I said, flashing my man-eater smile. He did a double take, and smiled back.

"Hey. I've never seen you here before. You knew to town?"

"Something like that," I said, flipping my hair. "I'm Rose," I said. "Hathaway." I felt a pang of sadness when I said my runaway alias. And then I felt guilty for talking to someone - anyone - who wasn't Dimitri.

The song switched to a slow-dancing, romantic type of song. "Damian," he said, turning to face me more. "You want to dance?"

"I, uh..." I said, unsure of what exactly I should do.

Then, a deep voice from behind me answered for me.

"My apologies. But Roza will dance with me."

* * *

**:O What's this? Did I bring Dimitri back? **

**Omgomgomgomgomg**

**Yeah, well, guess all you want. Lol. **

**CUZ I WON'T TELL YOU**

**Anyway, sorry for the not-updating thing. I'll try to get the next chappy out soon. **

**Meehhhhh**

**Anyway, I have a seriously important question that you HAVE to answer. **

**I'm getting braces tomorrow. Should I get pink or navy?  
Oh, and since I haven't given a question of the day...**

**YOU MUST ANSWER THESE FOUR QUESTIONS IN YOUR REVIEW OR STAN WILL KICK YOUR ASS**

**1. Do you watch Glee? **

**2. What do you think I look like? **

**3. Kira or L? **

**4. Do you like cereal?**

**YEAH i know pretty important stuff. **

**Seriously, though. **

**ANSWr.**

**K's. Bye. **

**REVIEW, or I'll make Dimitri into some Russian creeper, and he won't see Rose till like forever! :O**

**SO DO IT  
**


	19. OLD ch18

**omg upppdate**

**SO BE HAPPY**

**and sorry i took ten billion years...DON'T EAT ME ): ): ): **

**gahhh my mouth hurts. I got my braces (yuck) in navy! :P I look weird. And it's painful to eat. **

**Anyway, the answers to last chappies questions!**

**1. Hell yes I watch gLee. **

**2. I have blonde hair and green eyes! (Whoever guessed that, congrats lol u get a virtual cupcake)**

**3. Kira. All the flippin way. **

**4. Omg cereal is AWSUM**

**Annyway...**

**Back to teh story. **

**Yeah. I'll shut up now..**

**

* * *

**Eighteen.

I WAS PRETTY SURE I STOPPED breathing. I didn't turn around, didn't move. In fact, I was pretty sure I was staring at Damian, who was staring at the man behind me. The man that couldn't be Dimitri. Because if I let myself think he was...and he wasn't, or was just a figment of my imagination, I would be broken, depressed, probably worse than when he left the first time.

I blinked, looking down, and ran.

A few seconds into my run, a strong hand caught my wrist and pulled me into a broad, muscular chest, and a pair of arms wrapped around me.

"Roza," a too-familiar voice breathed against my hair.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to sob.

"Open your eyes, my love. It's really me." He said gently, delicately wiping away the tears running down my cheeks.

"Dimitri," I breathed, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down to touch my lips to his in a kiss of beautiful reunion.

But...

"You're cold," I said, freezing against his lips. "Dimitri, why are you so cold? Your skin is freezing, we should get you to a doctor or something -" I felt him chuckle, and it felt like every ounce of blood left my body, like I was frozen exactly as I was. Party in terror, partly in horror. It sounds like the same thing, but I'm talking about terror for my life and horror about what might have happened.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"No." I whispered, feeling Dimitri's arms wrapped around my waist and hating every second of it.

I tilted my head up, not wanting to believe something that could not be true.

I opened my eyes, and I suddenly found myself staring into Dimitri's now noticeably. Red. Eyes.

"No. No, no, no, no," I said, taking a step back. "Dammit," I said, my voice breaking. My eyes widened. "Dimitri." I said, not believing the pale skin, the cruel smile on his face.

"Yes, Roza?" his voice said. But it wasn't him. He...wasn't the same. Not my Dimitri, not anymore. This man standing before me was a _monster. _A Strigoi.

"I..." I choked out. No. I just...I...

I turned and ran, somehow kicking off the red stilettos and blindly pushing back patrons to find a door, an escape. Something. "Mason!" I screamed, slamming into a red-headed guy that was most definitely _not _Mason upon further inspection. "Dammit," I groaned, tears streaming down my face.

"Why are you running, Roza?" Dimitri purred from behind me. _No. _I told myself. It _wasn't him. _I felt his too-cold hand caress my arm, and it was all I could do not to scream as I plowed forward through the mass of gyrating teenagers.

"Rose? What's up?" Eddie's voice spoke from behind me.

"Eddie," I cried, falling into his arms and sobbing. "Y-you have to-" I hiccuped, "Leave. Now."

"Huh? Didn't you, uh...Get the surprise?" he asked, confused.

"Dimitri," I whispered.

Eddie laughed, hugging me tighter. "Yeah. I thought you'd be happy! What, did he break up with you or something?" I bit my lip. "Aw, shit, Rose. I'm sorry." I squeezed my eyes shut. "Rose?"

"He didn't break up with me," I breathed, barely audible.

Eddie's face turned into a look of confusion. "Then...what? We figured you'd, you know, be happy!"

"He's...Eddie, Dimitri is-" A girl's shriek cut me off, and I whipped my head around to see everyone clearing out from the center of the dance floor, where Dimitri was standing, holding Lissa by the neck off of the ground.

"No," I said.

"Strigoi," Eddie hissed, instinctively putting himself in front of me. I watched, coward I am, under his arm.

"This doesn't have to be difficult," Dimitri spoke cooly, "I will not kill this girl, or any of you, if you simply hand Rosemarie Ivashkov over to me or she turns herself in." He smirked at the confusion amongst the humans. He dropped Lissa to the floor where she began gasping for breath.

"Dammit," I murmured, shoving past Eddie and running toward the circle of humans surrounding Dimitri.

"No way!" I was pulled back into the crowd by a strong pair of arms.

"Lemme go!" I muttered, squirming against the relentless grip.

"No way, Princess." Adrian's daunting voice replied. "You think I'm going to lose you? No way."

"What do you care?" I cried, tears spilling down my face. "It's my choice. No one should die because of me,"

"Shut up, Rose. I'm sorry, but shut up. You're important, okay? Not just to me, but in the royal sense. _You cannot escape that. _You tried to, tried to become someone else when you ran away with your guardian. But...Rose, you'll always be an Ivashkov, whether you like it or not. And you're important. So you can't die for that reason...among others. You're still important to me. To us. Mason, Christian, Eddie, Lissa, Dim-" he sighed. "You just can't go carelessly handing your life out.

"I..." he was right. Blatantly, obtusely right. I hated him for it. It was just something about Adrian; he always stated the truth, like it or not. He said it in a mostly kind way that was unique and totally his own, however, and I couldn't help but admire him for it.

He spun me around, pulling me into his arms. "Rose..."

"Time is running out, Rose." That twisted voice that sounded way too much like Dimitri spoke solemnly.

"N-" I tried to yell, but Adrian clamped a hand over my mouth. "Shh," he said, towing me to the back of the crowd.

"What the hell are we going to do?" I heard Christian demand furiously. "I could just torch him, here and now!" he said, glowering furiously at the tall Russian in the center of the room.

"No!" I cried. "Y-you can't," I said quietly.

I could not love him anymore. I couldn't. He was Strigoi. Once someone was a Strigoi, there wasn't any going back. He had to die. But a small part of my brain was screaming at me to shut the hell up and fight for the man I loved.

Mason cast me a forlorn glance. "Rose..." he started.

"I know." I said.

He sighed. "The most we can do is get Rose out of here. Has anyone seen Yuri, Stan, or Alberta?" he asked. There was a collective "Nope" from Adrian, Christian, Eddie and me. "Dammit," Mason muttered. "Where the hell are they?"

"Time's up!" Dimitri's voice boomed through the speaker system. "Now I have to coming looking for you, _Roza."_

_

* * *

_**Dimitri's POV**

**(One month previous)**

I remember...being cold. Freezing, surrounded by nothing but numbness and snow. When I was a child, no more than ten years old, I got caught under the snow falling off of the roof of our house in one of the coldest winters Siberia had experienced. When Viktoria and Karolina were playing, they found me, but I had been nearly blue and hypothermic.

I was cold like that now.

Stuck here in some shack in the middle of fucking _nowhere. _Damn Strigoi. At times, I just hated them. Other times, I _fiercely _hated them. Like now, for instance.

I wasn't sure who it had been - I didn't know the Strigoi that kidnapped me, just that one had noticeably blond hair and introduced himself as "Nathan." I really hated it when Strigoi tried to be formal.

Speak of the devil, pretty boy Nathan walked in the door.

"Hello, dhampir." He smiled coolly at me. "Do you know why you are here?" he asked, giving a small chuckle.

"No." I said.

"Are you cold, dhampir?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" he leaned in, baring his fangs in what really could only be called a sadistic smile.

"Yeah."

"Would you like to know something, dhampir?"

"Sure."

"We have your precious Moroi. Well, not physically with us, but we have someone watching her."

I clenched my fists. _I won't give them the satisfaction of breaking me. _"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"So you won't mind if I have her killed, then?"

"No-" I cried, lurching forward in the chair. "Please, no. Take me, take me instead. Please,"

He laughed. "Ah, playing the hero, are we? Well, well, I have a proposition for you."

I was silent, merely glaring at the ground.

"I awaken you, dhampir. You see, you'd be part of an army we Strigoi are cultivating - to be honest, you'd be quite a valuable asset. In return for your servitude, the Strigoi in my command will not harm your Ivashkov."

"I..." They'd probably change me anyway. "Fine."

Nathan laughed again, the ringing sound filling my ears. "This might hurt, dhampir."

And then it was cold again.

* * *

**DAMMIT**

***sulks in corner***

**why, WHY can't I write DPOV?**

**UUnnnGGHH**

**I try to stay away from other POVs, but I needed fillerzzz :p**

**FFFUU~~**

**No maddie, no cursing you bad child**

**OH LOOK I'M TALKING TO MYSELF~! **

**I'm such a freak. **

**YAY**

**Sorry for the painfully long update wait :/ But my computer has officially committed suicide, and the one I'm using is a trial thingy at the Mac store :3 So if you saw a person in there today, it was meeee!**

**WHEEE**

**Ohh and please don't kill me for making Dim-Dim a Strigoi! PLEASE! I just always like to have stories with two arcs. The first arc was with the whole RUNAWAYYY thing and now it's this! Trust me, it makes for a longer story, more reviews for me, and more happiness and updates for youuu! **

**BUT I'M SORRY I MEAN I KNOW I HAD MY FAIR SHARE OF SULKING WHEN MY LYOBLYO (THAT LOOKS WEIRD IN ENGLISH..ha...MEANS LOVE BTW) WAS TURNED INTO A STRIGOI IN SHADOW KISS UGH I DAMNED RICHELLE TO HELL**

**ohshit**

**DON'T DAMN ME CHICKENS PLEASSEEE CUZ IT WILL BE RESOLVED A LOT MORE QUICKLY BECAUSE I AM NICE AND RUSSIAN SO THEREFORE I SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR LOVE INTEREST:) **

**or do i? **

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN**

**so yeah review, or i use my awesome ninjahhh skills to turn Dimka into a Strigoi...FOREVAH AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA MUAHAHAHHA **

**:3**

**evil kitty right thar**

**OH AND GUESS WHAT. **

**LAST SACRIFICE**

**BITCHES**

**IT IS OUT SOON**

**LIKE SEVEN DAYS?**

**NYAAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYA OHMUYGOONESS  
*is excited***

**QUESTION TIEMS (you don't answer, i hate you:) jkkk)**

**1. WHAT DOES EDWARD ELRIC MEAN TO YOU?**

**2. Do you hate me for making Dim-Dim a Strigoi (or for calling him Dim-Dim)?**

**3. HAVE YOU READ THE VAMPIRE DIARIES? SOOSOSOSo GOOD (Not as good as VA of course)**

**4. Have you ever been to Mexico?**

**5. Got a shoutout for me? Maybe a I HATE YOU BIIIITCH YOU MADE MAH MAN STRIGOI or just plain UHHHGHG? **

**hehe**

**OKAY BYEEEEE I'M SORRY LOVES):**


	20. PLEASE VOTE

**Hey guys! Well, okay, I've gotten some mixed reviews about where I should pick up the story - some of you like the Strigoi twist, and some of you want me to let Rose and Dimitri relax a little bit. So, I'll give you a preview of Chapter 16 - right after Dimitri gets his neck snapped by Isaiah - and then a summary of a chapter that would pick up after 17, and then a chapter that would pick up after the latest one.**

**OPTION 1.**

Sixteen.

I WOKE UP TO A sunlit bedroom. Naturally, the first thought that passed through my mind (and came out of my mouth) was, "Holy _fucking _shit!"

I jumped up from the comfy bed and looked around the room; it was pretty bare, made out of mostly wood, with the bed, a dresser, a little bedside table, and the bed I had just jumped (read: fallen) out of. It seemed…well, like the stereotypical "home."

Of course, the second thing that went through my head was that Dimitri wasn't in the room.

The _third _thing that I thought was that this could be yet another Strigoi house. But, being the reckless idiot that I am, I padded in my socks to the door, quietly opening it to a hallway and, past that, a flight of stairs. It was light out, so if I could just get to the door-

"Oh! You're finally up!" a warm, female voice laced with a Russian accent said. I slowly turned around to see a girl that looked like…well, a girl version of Dimitri.

"…Who the hell are you?" I spluttered, standing upright and blushing from being caught snooping.

The girl beamed at me, and I vaguely recognized her from the other night. One of Dimitri's sisters. "I'm Viktoria, Dimka's little sister. You are Rose. Dimka has said so many things about you," she said fondly. "Are you hungry?" she added.

I nodded. Of course I was hungry. "Is Dimitri here?" I said in a small voice. If…if he was dead…

She laughed. "No. He went to the market. He will be mad that he wasn't here when you woke up, you know. He has been sitting in your room for days! He was very worried." She said. "Come on, mama is making lunch. Don't worry, she is a very good cook." She said happily, taking my hand and pulling me in the direction of the stairs. I was a little stunned at the normalcy of it all, to be perfectly honest. But I wasn't _too _stunned; no, the delicious fragrance of meat and other delicacies was drifting up to my nose.

"Rose!" another female voice greeted me, and I was quickly drawn into a warm hug by who I assumed was Dimitri's mother. I kind of surprised myself by hugging her back tightly – just wanting contact with another human being, I guess. Kudos to me for finding one that looked like Dimitri. "Good morning, dear. Dimka went to the market, but he should be back soon…" she peered at me. "How are you feeling? I imagine you'll need blood very soon, but in the meantime, lunch will be ready in a few minutes." She said, smiling warmly.

"Thank you very much," I said, smiling back. I would see Dimitri soon, and get some food, and then everything would be better. I was formally introduced to the rest of Dimitri's family – most of them hugged me, except for that crazy old woman. She just scrutinized me for a few seconds before going off somewhere.

I sat down next to Viktoria and ate like a starving kid, piling food onto my plate and savoring the delicious taste. Not fair that Dimitri grew up with this – I had had a chef, yeah, but he just didn't cook with _love _like Olena did.

I was still chewing on some kind of meat pastry when the door opened to reveal Dimitri carrying several paper bags. I froze for a moment, dropping my fork and plowing into him.

"Dmetrh!" I said around my mouth full of food. He was clearly surprised, as he had dropped the paper bags, and his arms were around me in an instant. I nearly choked on my food trying to swallow it so I could kiss Dimitri. And boy, was it a kiss. I felt kind of bad, you know, since we were in front of his entire family, but I got over it.

"I love you," he said, the three words filled with passion, adoration, and love. I shivered.

"I love you, too," I murmured, burying my face in his chest. He opened the door and led me outside to a big tree a little ways out from the house, sitting down under its shade and drawing me down into his lap. To my surprise (well, not really _that _surprising) a few tears ran down my cheek, and I immediately wiped at them.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, his warm, warm fingers stroking my hair and wiping my tears.

"You know," I choked out. "You…you _died!_" I snapped, burying my face in his chest. He hugged me even more closely, whispering soothing things in Russian and stroking my back.

"You brought me back. _You_ did, Rose. You're so, so amazing." He murmured.

"You shouldn't have done that," I croaked. "You're such an _idiot. _You shouldn't have come by yourself!" I landed a feeble punch to his arm. "Stupid idiot," I mumbled.

"I know. And I was originally heading back to the Academy – but that took far too long, and with the Strigoi deadline…Well, I had to get there sooner. So, as soon as you left me in the dream, I woke up and booked a plane to Novosibirsk, and then drove to Baia and went in the direction Galina took you."

"You're an idiot. You could have died."

"I could have," he agreed.

"Do you have any idea how…how horrible I felt? Like, not guilty or anything, but just…sheer…horror! I would die too, you know, if you died."

He kissed my forehead. "Shh, don't talk like that. What matters is that we are both here and alive _now._ You saved me – you're my angel of redemption, Roza." He said, that beautiful voice soothing me.

"I just…I love you, Dimitri. So much."

He kissed me for a while – minutes, hours, days. It didn't particularly matter. We finally broke away for air, and I was pleased to discover that he was breathing just as heavily as me.

"I hate to interrupt you two, but I'm ravenously hungry. Care to take us to town, Cradle Robber?" Adrian looked pleasantly down at us, his hands shoved into the pockets of what looked like a very expensive coat.

Dimitri muttered something unintelligible and stood up, towing me along with him.

"What the fuck are _you _doing here?" I snapped, glaring at the bastard.

He shrugged. "Denis, Tamara, and Abby all live in Russia – I had no place to stay, so Belikov here grudgingly conceded I could sleep on the couch." He said, beaming.

I whipped my head around to stare at Dimitri. "_What?" _I demanded, more than furious. "Adrian!" I spluttered, stalking up to him. I stared him down, the relaxed look on his face going very far to piss me off. "Can't you get a flight home or something? I have money if you don't, so you can leave today-"

"Rose," Dimitri cut in. "Don't you think…Don't you think it would be a good idea to work on whatever it is the two of you do with magic?" he said sheepishly.

Adrian laughed. "That's what we wanted to break to you gently."

I frowned. "What? No. I want to go somewhere _else _in Russia that does not have you in it." I quipped.

"Ouch. That hurts, Princess."

"Who the hell are you calling Princess?" I demanded, my finger stabbing his chest. "Wouldn't _you _be the Prince, mister holier-than-thou Ivashkov? God, I can't _stand _you!"

"Just think about it for a minute, okay? If you learned how to dream walk so quickly, then think about how much more we could learn from each other! And I was talking to that old hag, and she said that she felt something in you and your cradle robber that she had only felt in two other people. She said she'd take us to meet them soon," he said, pleased with himself.

Dimitri sighed, his mood noticeably darker. "Yes, well, I'll let Rose decide for herself what she wants to do. I will take you both to get blood, but Adrian, it is in your best interest to leave Rose alone if she asks. Is that perfectly clear?"

Adrian nodded quickly. "Yes sir." He said, only a _hint _of sarcasm in his voice. God, maybe we _were _related.

Dimitri, Adrian and I walked in an awkward silence into town. I still held Dimitri's hand (or arm. Same thing), but Adrian was maybe three feet in front of us and it made any type of conversation downright creepy. I kept sending Dimitri rather explicit thoughts, and several times I thought I could almost make out a faint blush on his cheeks. I beamed, very proud of myself. One thing I had learned about Dimitri was that while he was very open with me…He didn't even hint at his personal life around _anyone _else. Sure, he would hold hands with me – but having someone know about his sex life? Scandalous.

We eventually reached an inconspicuous looking building, but I kind of had a gut feeling that it was a blood-whore den/feeding area. Dimitri steeled himself and put his arm possessively around me as he led me to the front desk. The woman recognized our race immediately and instructed us to go through a back door – at least, that's what I gathered from what happened. It took place entirely in Russian.

Adrian sauntered in to feed from some pretty blond human, and Dimitri escorted me _away _from the male section to where I assumed some old lady would be – but, no, he led me to a private room.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "I don't need to weaken you anymore – there are feeders here, Dimitri…you can save your strength."

He shook his head. "I…I don't know. It's like I get jealous when it's someone else. I'm not really addicted to the high or anything…Mostly it's just you. Knowing that I'm providing something useful for you." He said softly, holding my gaze.

I smiled. "Are you sure?"

He laughed. "Yes." He pulled me into his lap, tilting his neck to the side to give me access. "Wait," I said, pushing his head back straight. "We weren't finished earlier." I murmured, bringing my lips to his. His warm, warm hands played with the hem of my shirt, his nimble fingers gliding across my stomach. He stripped off my jacket and shirt, leaning back to admire me for a moment.

"You are so beautiful," he stated.

I laughed, his eyes doing so much more to me than any man could ever hope to do. "Glad you like the merchandise," I whispered, nibbling on his earlobe. I brought my lips to his neck, kissing the smooth skin there for a moment before biting. Dimitri let out a small moan of pleasure, his hands still absently roaming my body. I didn't drink for very long, mostly just enough to get me healthy again. I finally broke away, licking the blood sensually from my lips. "Mm." I teased. "You're _delicious," _I said, pulling him down onto the reclining chair on top of me. He carefully distributed his weight so that I could feel the pressure of his entire, sculpted body but wasn't crushed. I tilted my head up for a kiss, but he made me wait like the bastard he was and instead focused on my neck and stomach. His hands slowly began to unclasp my bra – it was boring this time, by the way, just some shitty white one – and then he sighed.

"Not here," he said finally. He sat up, most certainly looking like that was pretty much the _last _thing he had wanted to say. Damn him and his self control. He sighed, giving me one last hungry look before running a hand through his hair and standing up, passing me my shirt and smiling. "Are you alright?" he asked randomly.

I frowned. Why wouldn't I be? "Obviously. More than alright. Why…?" I asked, trying to raise an eyebrow but when that strategy failed I settled for tilting my head.

He shrugged. "No reason in particular. Come on, let's go find Adrian." He suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Do we have to? We could just leave him here to fend for himself. That would be _so _muchmore fun." I said, smirking.

He sighed. "Oh, Rose."

"Dimitri…" I said quietly. "Back – back at the house, with Galina…You hesitated. What were you thinking?" I asked softly, unabashedly staring at him. "You should have taken out Isaiah. But you didn't."

"No," he agreed, "I didn't. I was trying to plan my next move, actually – but nothing I did would guarantee you lived. I more or less accepted I was going to die…and I was okay with it, on one hand, because I knew I would be saving you. But on the other hand, I would be leaving you defenseless or with someone other than myself to protect you for the rest of your life – and, call me conceited, but I'd liked to believe that you would feel the same way if I died as I would if you died, and I knew that I couldn't leave you with that feeling. But it was too late – and when you revived me…It was like seeing the face of an angel." He murmured, his fingertips brushing against my cheek.

I leaned into his hand. "Next time something like that happens – and I have a feeling it will, given our goddamn luck – then you have to live, okay?" I said stubbornly, sounding like a bratty kid.

Dimitri smiled. "As long as your life is not in danger." He assured me. Well, kind of. It wasn't specifically the assurance I was looking for, but, eh, close enough.

We waked out of the room and back to the front to wait for Adrian – but, as it turns out, he had beaten us there. He went on and on about how long we took, and how he would bet money on the fact that we had done kinky stuff with the feeder, and blah, blah, blah – basically anything and everything he could possibly say that he knew would annoy me.

* * *

**It's not finished yet xD but you basically get a feel for what the new tone of the story will be. I still have a shit ton of twists to throw in later (story will be around 30 chapters) but this elongates the time that Rose and Dimdim have together.**

**OPTION 2.**

**If I picked up after chapter 17...**

**Rose is depressed and basically living her life day-to-day. She'll try to move on a little bit and date some guys, but apart from that she's just miserable and pathetic :D **

* * *

**OPTION 3.**

**If we start from the last chapter...**

**Dimitri is total asshole Strigoi and Mason, Rose, Adrian, and Christian escape through the back door of the club - then those four are essentially on the run for a while in the human world. Rose is reading all of these old books about spirit with Adrian and eventually the two stumble on an account of a Strigoi restoration. More shenanigans occur, lots of bad jokes and sarcasm, and some more twists and secrets I don't want to tell you just yet :)**

* * *

**Pleeeease vote! For option 1, 2, or 3! I'm happy with any option, but I would really like to have you guys' opinion. So _PLEASE VOTE!_**

**__love,**

**mashka**


	21. Chapter 15 OFFICIAL

**omfg**

**it's a mother-effing TIE.**

**HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN**

**ugh.**

**So, I'm doing a little combination of both - option three is just pushed to later in the story, around chapter 24. Deal?  
Deal.**

**I promise you'll enjoy these chapters even if you were an option three-er! **

**Okay, guys, I'll shut up.**

**Here is the long awaited, much anticipated NEW UPDATE FOR THE LAST ROSE!**

**cheers :)**

* * *

Sixteen.

I WOKE UP TO A relatively darkish room.

It was really, um...cabin-ish. _So _not my style. But I sat up and yawned, anyway - but then I realized something.

_Dimitri!  
_

My mind screamed for that tall Russian. Or, told me to find him. It was like I needed to. Because, honestly, I kind of did. And I felt a little braindead from sleeping for so long, but-

Wait...

Braindead. Dead. Died. Dimitri...Dimitri _died _HOLY SHIT. I sprang out of the cushy, extremely very comfortable bed and ran out the door - only to be baffled further by really unfamiliar surroundings. "Where the _fuck _am I?" I hissed, peering down the right and left sides of the hallway.

"Rose?" a female voice with a light Russian accent asked.

"Who the fuck are you?" I snapped, spinning around and coming face to face with...with Dimitri's sister. We hadn't exactly been formally introduced that first night, what with the hostage situation and all. "Oh. Dimitri's sister. Um...Viktoria, yeah?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes. Are you hungry? You must be. You've been asleep for, like, two days!" she said, laughing. "Mama's cooking lunch now. If you want-"

"Where's Dimitri?" I said, getting to the point. "Sorry. But I, um, need to see him. Now."

She looked puzzled at my bluntness - and, honestly, I'd probably feel bad about it later - she was just so _nice - _but, fuck, no time for regrets now. "He's at the market...is something the matter?"

I shook my head no. "No...I just want to see him," was all I said. "Can you tell me where the market is?"

She laughed. "It's a long walk. You should just wait until he gets back in maybe an hour."

I smiled, feigning compliance. "Okay, yeah, you're right. I'll be down for lunch soon, okay? I'm just going to get cleaned up." I said.

She nodded and smiled. _Damn_ it, she made being deceitful _so _much more morally difficult. "Okay. If you want, some of my clothes are in your dresser - Dimitri figured we were close to the same size, and so I put some things in there for you if you wanted to change."

"Thank you so much!" I said nervously, slinking back toward the room I had so quickly burst out of. Once inside, I immediately pawed through the drawers to find a pair of jeans. I did, and they happened to fit me quite nicely. Since we were in Siberia and it was, you know, nippy, I slipped on some fur-lined boots and a sturdy jacket. Yup. Rose was ready for escape.

I peered out the window - it was barely two stories, something I was praying I could safely jump from. The window, thankfully, had a little flowerbed thing that I felt a little bad for trampling, but it made my descent so much easier. I repeated the process a second time, and was soon on the ground.

The Belikov house was a little ways away from the town - but not so far that it wasn't out of sight. I walked quickly down the road to the "downtown" area, maybe seven minutes away. Once in the inner area, I was a little confused as to where the hell the market was - and, more importantly...how to ask. I walked up to a stand selling questionable (cat vomit) food, and I asked, very slowly, "Mar-ket?" making all kinds of wild hand gestures like eating and paying.

The guy looked at me like I was an idiot. "I speak English, and it's over there. Maybe five minutes away. Just walk straight, _da_?"

I sighed, feeling stupid. "Yeah. Thanks," I said, walking in the direction he had indicated.

"Damn Russians..." I muttered.

"What's so wrong with Russians?" oh, no matter how sarcastic, teasing, or snide that comment had been, the voice whom it belonged to made it sound like all of the beautiful things in the world. My personal favorite Russian had a tendency of doing that.

I spun around, plowing into him and burying my face in his chest. _"Dimitri!"_ I mumbled against the navy fabric of his shirt, my arms something like a vice around his waist. "You're alive," I said in a small voice.

He chuckled. "Of course I am, Roza." He kissed the top of my head, stroking my hair. I frowned, displeased with the lack of PDA, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. He leaned back for a moment, murmuring, "but only because of you, _moya lyubov."_

I made a face. "That better not be an insult," I muttered, keeping my cheek pressed to his impeccably sculpted chest. Yum.

He laughed, picking me up just slightly to kiss my nose. "No," he said. "It means 'my love.'"

I pouted. "Why can't you kiss my mouth, too?" I whined.

He smirked (and I was seriously questioning my sanity; what was _with _all of his happiness? Where was broody Dimitri? Not that I minded) and set me down. "I'm afraid if I did that, I wouldn't be able to hold back - and we are in public, Roza."

I couldn't help but smile, too. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But we can't really go home. Your whole fucking family is there!"

He laughed. "I know. I take it you've met them? And...Rose, how did you get here by yourself? And why on Earth would you leave unguarded?"

There we go. There was the overprotective soccer mom we all know and love. I rolled my eyes. "You live in a medieval village."

"There are more Strigoi in Russia than you'd think, Rose."

And my brilliant comeback: "Shut up." made even more awesome by a punch to the chest. I frowned again, recalling past events. "Don't try to get off topic. You died."

He sighed. "I know. I have failed as your guardian."

"I'm alive, stupid."

"Yes, but it was fairly risky. I should have found a better way to prot-"

I slapped him across the face. Which was, you know, a long reach and all, so the effect was slightly diminished. But still.

He blinked; I knew it wouldn't really hurt him, but it was the thought that mattered. He touched a hand to his face, still looking slightly in shock. "...Rose?"

"You're so stupid," I huffed. "Why the hell would you think it's okay for you to go and get yourself killed? Especially for _me? _What if I hadn't been able to bring you back, huh? I'd be living with the fact that you were dead and it was_ my fault _for the rest of my life - if I lived much longer! You _ass_hole!"

He frowned slightly, probably considering what I'd just said (while still managing to watch everything around us for security threats or whatever) and contemplating what he was going to do. God damn it, why couldn't I read his mind too? He wordlessly pulled me to his chest, his hands shaking a little bit. Damn, for a man who showed no fear, I was assuming this was a pretty big display of emotion for him. My cheeks were wet, too. When the hell did I become such a softie?

Anyway, he stepped back after a moment, probably regarding the stares we were getting. He took my hand and led me away from the (bustling? No, that couldn't be right. There were, like, eight people) market and to a pretty little grassy area.

"Roza," he began, emotion momentarily flooding his eyes. "What I did...I understand why you would feel that way - but please, then, understand why I must value your life first. Nothing means more to me. Do you understand that?"

I snorted. "Of course I understand that. I'm young, but I'm not overly childish." He sighed. "But _you _need to understand something - love goes both ways. I want to protect you, too, but the fact that you'll so readily fling yourself in front of an armed and extremely dangerous Strigoi makes that a little fucking difficult!" I said, my voice getting louder.

"You come first," he stated.

"Yeah, in fucking Moroi land. I thought we went over this."

"I am not going to put my life above yours. That will never happen."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to consider how I would feel if something happened to you, Dimitri. That kind of pain would be worse than dying. Oh, God, that sounded so pathetic. I'm sorry, I'm not that lame. But it's true."

He looked down. "I am sorry; I don't know what else to say. I will always put your life before mine, I will always die if it means protecting you, Roza. Because I am your guardian and it's my duty, but also because I love you _too damn much_ to let anything ever harm you."

"Then live to protect me longer, idiot!"

"It's not like I planned on dying!"

"Then maybe you should train more!"

"Maybe you shouldn't make stupid decisions that get you captured!"

"Oh yeah? Well maybe I wouldn't if you'd train me like y-" he pinned me down, that bastard.

"Fine," he growled. "Let's train." His jaw was clenched; I could tell he was...irritated.

I shot him a glare. "You're bigger than me."

He snorted. "Most people are."

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't a joke."

I struggled against his grip, soon coming upon the realization that, yeah, it was fucking useless. Not only was he almost a foot taller than me, he probably weighed two times as much as I did. I was in a dilemma. How to escape, how to escape...

Well, I didn't want to kiss him. That would be like admitting defeat - and besides, it was horribly cliche. Damn.

"Get off of me."

"No."

"My wrists hurt."

"No, they don't."

"Fuck you and your unfair advantages."

"You said train you. That's what I'm doing."

"Yeah, not like th-"

"Oh? You're complaining?" he tsked. "My. The novices at the Academy were much more agreeable."

"Why are you being so mean? I'm the one who was mad, jerk!" I shoved against his chest to no avail. I was pretty sure a fucking truck couldn't push past his abs of steel.

Dimitri just stared at me for a moment, the guardian mask blocking any emotion I could see. He finally snapped. "I told you!"

"What?"

"I told you why I did what I did, Rose! But you just can't see it!"

"Yeah, and you can't see what I'm saying, either!"

"I know my dying would hurt you - but you could move on, have a normal life!"

"Sorry, comrade, but it would be boring without you."

"..."

"I love you," I said, all flustered. "But if you're going to act like this - like some kind of Goddamned white knight - then...I don't know what to do. I don't think it's natural for someone to be resurrected as many times as you have - hell, just once was pushing the laws of the Universe. So please...I'm asking one thing, and I kind of thought it was a primal instinct to begin with - please just try to keep yourself alive."

"..."

"Say something!"

"Roza..."

"Don't 'Roza' me." It makes me go all lovesick.

"I will always value your life most," he said slowly, "but to accommodate you...I will make an effort to preserve my life, as well."

I blinked. "Not just your life."

"What?"

"Your soul."

"My soul?"

"Your soul. I can't...I don't want you turning Strigoi, either. That would be almost... worse."

He sighed. "Rose...Can we please just agree to-"

"Promise me, Dimitri!" I yelled, sounding like a little kid.

"Rose-"

"Please,"

"...Fine."

I continued to glare at him. "Will you get off me?"

He considered it. "...No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"You ruined my mood."

I glared.

"I expect a full apology."

"Handwritten or typed?" God damn him and his perfection. I felt the stirrings of, er, passion frolicking about within my stomach.

"Handwritten will be accepted, I suppose. Make sure you use proper grammar, although I don't see how you could since you never went to class."

"Still hung up on that?"

"I don't know what I'll do with you when you're old and still uneducated."

"Ship me off to a nursing home?"

He laughed - it was a real laugh, too. The joke wasn't all that funny, and we had just had a pretty...strange argument, but it was a real, honest laugh. It was a beautiful sound. And Dimitri really was in a good mood - it was inexplicable, but he was being witty and humorous and personable.

"I love you." I said, surprising myself with eyes brimming over with tears. "Fuck you, stop making me cry."

"It's okay to cry,"

"You never do." Oh, god.

"I cry, sometimes."

"Yeah, right. You're p-" Shoot me in the face. Shoot. Me. In. The face.

"I'm what?"

"Nothing." I said, blushing. Yeah, maybe I did think he was perfect - but that was for my secret mind diary only, not for the Russian supermodel.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Pretty?" he guessed.

"Certainly applicable," As if. Scorchingly God damn sexy, maybe. "But no."

"Hmm..." Ohh, his voice did such dirty things to my mind. "Peaceful?"

"More like Zen master."

"Polite?"

"A little _too _polite, if you ask me."

He began kissing my neck. Oh, God. I really hoped a goat herder didn't saunter down the road...

"Pleasant?" he murmured in that sensuous low voice of his.

"Y-yes..." I moaned - wait, _moaned? _

"No, I don't think that's the word you were going to say."

"P-perfect..." I breathed out, my back arcing to give him better access to my neck and jaw, needing to be pressed up against him. "Dimitri..."

He kissed my lips softly at first. I've kissed a lot of people, believe me, but Dimitri had to be the best kisser of them all. The kiss was sweet, filled with love and unsaid words of adoration.

"I love you so much," he stated, pulling back to look at me. I probably looked like a horny mess, too.

I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down so I could kiss him more. "Please...Please don't ever leave me again, even if it's just for a few minutes."

"I won't, Roza."

"Stay with me." God, I was so needy and petulant.

"Always." He shifted and rolled over so that he laid next to me. "We should probably go back to the house..."

"Jerk," I muttered.

He sighed, standing up and offering me his hand. I pouted as he lifted me to my feet, but my face lit up when he withdrew a small, brightly wrapped box from his duster of many pockets.

"I missed your birthday," he murmured. "You know, what with everything that happened. So, um, here."

Amazing how a man could go from badass sex god to awkward in three seconds flat. "Dimitri, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to."

"Well, I do love presents." I teased, taking the small box. My heart fluttered a little bit, but then I realized my little moment of excitement was probably horribly misguided. I pulled the ribbon off and tore open the red paper. It was a tiny, ornate box, like something out of old Russian movies. "Dimitri...it's beautiful," I said, staring at it in fascination. It really, really was; it was small, about the size of the palm of my hand, and painted in shades of teal, gold, pink, and a little bit of red.

"Open it," he said, still looking away.

I did, to hear it begin to play a soft, lullaby-sounding song. Tucked softly into the fabric was a beautiful pair of silver earrings.

"The box was a family thing, and the earrings...I'm sorry if you don't like them. I can replace them if you-"

"I love it," I said, looking up at him. "It's...it's amazing."

"I know you mentioned you wanted an iPod or something, but we _are_ in Siberia - "

"Shut up, Dimitri." I said, whipping the wrapping paper at him. "It's absolutely perfect."

He sighed. "I'm glad you like it."

I picked up one of the earrings, handing the box and the other earring to Dimitri to hold while I clipped it on. I paused before putting on the other one, and reached up to clip it to Dimitri's ear.

He frowned, looking flustered. "Y-you wear them!"

I shook my head. "I only need one."

He groaned. "Rose..."

"Hush. It doesn't detract from your manliness, don't worry."

He sighed. "You're..."

"Sexy? Beautiful? A goddess?"

"Yes, but so much more than that."

I laughed. "Stop switching moods so fast on me."

He rolled his eyes. "As soon as you stop instigating a mood change."

"Think you could use normal American sometimes?"

"Just because I use complex words does not mean I'm not speaking English." He took my hand and we started down the path.

I shrugged. "Maybe I should have gone to school."

"What did I tell you?"

"You're like a mother, I swear. And besides, you sat with me through all the classes I skipped!"

"...It was for protection."

"You mean it wasn't because I'm insanely cool?"

He laughed again. "That was part of it."

I smiled, and we fell into a comfortable silence. After a moment in my weird brain, I had to say it; "Dimitri, some girls would be like, 'I'm cold!' to get their boyfriend's jacket. But me? No. I'm toasty warm. Because first of all, you wear a duster. And second of all, I'm pretty sure it's taller than me."

He gave me a strange look before chuckling. "You have a very strange thought process, Roza."

"You would know," I muttered.

He chuckled. "I would."

"Where are we going to go now?"

"I don't have a plan, really. I suppose we could just stay in Russia for a while. There are Strigoi, but I swear to you I will protect you."

"Seeing Russia doesn't sound like such a bad idea with you," I mused. "Would you be my tour guide?"

He laughed. "Oh, Rose."

I smiled the whole way back to the Belikovs' house. Dimitri held open the door for me like a gentleman, and I smelled the wonderful smells of food drifting into the living room. Everything seemed way too great to be featured in the life of Rosemarie Ivashkov, but I really wasn't going to compl-

"Hi, little princess!"

"Oh, _hell _no."

* * *

**Lol oh, Adrian...**

**Rose is gon' beat that kid up :3**

**The preview chapter that you saw (with the feeders) is a little later, hopefully I'll be able to update with all that soon :3**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! I tried to get back into the writing style, what with Rose's ridiculous inner monologue and strange sense of humor. Hopefully it will get better with time, but eh.**

**And Dimitri...Ohh, boy. **

**I promise next chapter will be better . this was, like, marriage counseling for Rose and Dimitri xD**

**So did you like it enough to anticipate the continuation of TLR?**

**:3**

**I hope you did, because I really, really like making you guys happy, that's a big deal for me. If it sucks, tell me, or if there's an overwhelming flood of people who want option three, then that's what I'll do~**

**Bye, loves~**

**Oh**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY**

**If you were pinned down by Dimitri, how would you respond?**

**REVIEW! LIKE ALWAYS! CLICKY THE MAGIC REVIEW BUTTON AND LEAVE ME LOVES~**


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